Giant Marigold

(Toledo, OH) The seed packaged advertised these marigolds as "giant," and the superlative terminology accurately described the flowers that are now beginning to emerge in my yard. The flower heads of these yellow and orange beasts are about eight inches across, and they provide a burst of color in the late summer and early fall; this is akin to the effect of adding Casablanca fans to small bedrooms.

Some gardeners despise the lowly marigold, but I enjoy the colors they provide, their low maintenance, and the fact that you receive many months of beauty for a relatively inexpensive investment. Even better, marigolds sometimes re-seed themselves, meaning you can derive several years of horticultural enjoyment for a few dollars worth of seed.