We Could Learn A Lot From Marigolds

Marigolds many

Written by Terri Crosby for In Care of Relationships

Marigolds make themselves at home wherever you plant them.  They give it a go.  They rise up.  They flourish.  They celebrate their flower-ness no matter where they land.

If the soil is poor, marigolds still manage to be beautiful miniatures.  They may not grow as tall, but who cares.  They are everything they can be given the circumstances.  And they flower.

They never apologize for their bright heads.  After all, they are ORANGE.  Or YELLOW.  Or both.  They are not peachy,  or soft and moon-lighty or glowy.  They are orange-yellow.  And that’s that.

MarigMarigold - singleolds don’t mind if there’s a little too much rain, and neither do they object to a whole lot of sun.  They accept a wide range of growing circumstances.  And they do well!

Seeds from flowers that fall on the ground in the Fall grow the next Spring.  How  wonderful!  How generous!  How enthusiastic! How easy!

Marigolds are willing to help in any way they can.    In a garden, they keep certain insects at bay.  If planted around and in between plants, or on the perimeter of a garden, marigolds provide protection.  They do this happily and without any fuss at all.

Besides helping to provide abundant crops of vegetables and herbs, marigolds help us humans in another way — with our vision!  Did you know that marigolds are a source of lutein for our eyes which helps with an array of human vision issues?  (Google it.)  Again, how generous.

Marigolds are late bloomers.  (Hey, it’s something I relate to!)  These beauties are a last blast of color before the long cold winter sets in.  Isn’t that thoughtful?  Isn’t that a lovely thing to provide for the world?  I think so!

They are steadfastly healthy.  Marigolds are remarkably dis-ease resistant.  Just because things are a little tough doesn’t mean they roll over and get powdery mildew or blight for heaven’s sakes!  They consistently manage to find what they need to be healthy and beautiful.  They have staying power.

Marigolds make lots of seeds, as if to say “Let’s do this again next year!”

We could learn a whole lot from Marigolds!

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new shoots 2About Terri Crosby — I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains with Eric, my partner of 14 years, two cats and a dog, and as many flowers and vegetables as I can plant.  I have one daughter, MacKenzie.  It is my experience that children are born to teach (remind) parents, not the other way around.   I’ve learned more from my daughter than from all other humans combined.

I’m in favor of wandering time in the morning, listening to the birds calling to each other in the woods all around me.

Making fresh food is one of life’s big yummy pleasures, along with singing – especially creating heavenly, improvisational, prayerful, meditational sound.

I believe that poet Mary Oliver writes the best bedtime stories available on Earth.

For more information about In Care of Relationships, click here.

Marigolds small

In Care of Relationships, marigolds, relationship, relationships, Terri Crosby

Comments (4)

  • I love your Marigolds… They are lightening and brightening my entire garden in all sorts of nooks and crannies. Collecting seeds for next year now. With a hug, Claudette

  • Thank you for this wonderful treatise on marigolds – and life. Every day I pass my marigolds, and glance at them, grateful for their steadfastness and consistency, blooming brightly all season with little attention. Now I can look at them (and life : ) with new appreciation for ease and generosity.

  • Marigolds are remarkably dis-ease resistant. Just because things are a little tough doesn’t mean they roll over and get powdery mildew or blight for heaven’s sakes!

    I laughed out loud when I read this, it is so very true. There are always Marigolds in out garden, in several places. And when they magically reappear the following Spring, it is a glorious gift.

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