Marigold:
Birth flower for the
month of October
Scientific
Name
Tagetes erecta, T.
patula
(although some
sources indicate the
marigold mentioned as
the birth flower for
October is actually the
pot marigold or
Calendula.)
A perfect
pick for October's birth
flower, the marigold
blooms from late spring
through fall in a
wide
variety of autumnal
colors ranging from red
to orange to yellow,
gold and brown.
Moderately
drought-resistant, the
marigold requires a lot
of sun to reach its full
height of about 8 to 48
inches and spreading out
to about a foot in
diameter.
Marigolds make great
edge or border plants
and are a natural
deterrent to many garden
pests. They are
great container and
window box plants and
can be grown easily from
seed which is good since
these are annuals and
must be replanted each
season.
Marigolds
in Myth and Literature
Like
the sunflower, the
marigold blossom follows
the sun across the sky.
Myth says that the
sunflower or marigold
depending on the story
was a young woman so
entranced with following
the sun god Apollo
across the sky she
becomes the flower.
King
Midas's daughter,
Princess Marigold was a
sweet and loving child
with hair the color of
gold and a love for
flowers. When his
"golden Midas touch"
turns his beloved
daughter to solid gold,
the King asks to be rid
of the curse.
Early
Christians sometimes
referred to the marigold
as Mary's gold after the
mother of Jesus and
would place the blossoms
around statues of the
Virgin Mary.
In the
language of flowers,
marigolds are thoguht to
mean Comfort,
Contentment, Excellence,
Good Luck, Grace,
Gratitude, Joy, Love of
Nature,
Loveliness, and
True Love.
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