I first discovered this plant at FOPCON (Freinds of the Oak Park Conservatory) herb sale back in 1990. They are small fragile looking plants, but flower profusely and for a long time. I like the lemon best, but the tangerine are a great traditional orange shade.
Called Signet marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia) the small, showy, single 5-petaled flowered plant has a pungent lemon or citrus flavor and aroma that is present in the leaves and flowers in the lemon gem and tangerine gem varieties. In the family Tagetes which has few edible varieties, these are a great plant as the ferny foliage releases scent at the slightest touch. In the formal Victorian era they were used as bedding plants, as they are suitable for mass plantings. I grow them as filler in pots with foliage pants as they seem to flower constantly from mid-summer to first frost. Slightly hardier than regular marigold it only grows 6 to 12 inches, but has the same ability to control soil nematodes and other insects making them a great companion plant. They need a long growing season, so if you use seed, it is best to start indoors. ...
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gardening, herbs, lemon, marigods
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