Scientific name: Tagetes erecta
Common name: Marigold
Malay name: Bunga Tahi Ayam
Origin: Mexico
The Marigold is a foetid-smelling annual herb with yellow to orange flowers. They grow very well in full sun and propagation is by seeds. The flowers are rather 'showy' and so the plants are used in colourful garden displays. There are about 50 species and the plants are said to rid the soils of nematodes - microscopic worms.
Two plants in my tiny garden had bursts of yellow flowers, and had been 'grown' by A. Actually she threw some seeds from a packet (bought at a Tesco supermarket) into the container on the pedestal in the middle of the garden, and before you know it, we had a few seedlings growing. Unfortunately, only two survived to grow quite awkwardly in the container housing Plumbago plants. But thrive they did and produced quite a few stunning blooms like the one above. Being an annual, after the flowering there is nothing else to do but discard them and grow a new batch.
It is the month of June and the effects of El Nino is already being felt from early in the month. And it is supposed to get hotter and hit 40 degrees Celsius right up till September and may be beyond till the new year. Daily watering is a must because the soil in the containers dry up quickly and the plants in them start wilting away. 1.15am
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