My Marigold French Vanilla is blooming!
The flowers remind me, not of lacey can-can skirts, but of ice cream; French vanilla, of course.
My friend’s cousin shared her Thompson & Morgan marigold seeds with me and said that the petals were edible. That made it a double treat. I couldn’t wait to sow them.
I planted the seven seeds on seed-raising tablets and all seven germinated.
When they were big enough, I transplanted them to the ground. But I made a big mistake by not being careful enough.
The next morning I went to check on the plants and was stunned. The seedlings were all gone; except for one which I had tucked behind another plant.
No prizes for guessing who the culprits were. I rescued the survivor and planted it away from marauding snails. For good measure, I sprinkled snail pellets around it.
So the seedling ended up growing in the shadow of lilies and basils. After a few weeks, the marigold pushed its way through its taller neighbors.
A tiny bud formed, burgeoned, then split. Each flower is a frothy concoction with creamy petals that look good enough to eat. And indeed they are.
The petals may make a pretty salad but I can’t make myself pick them. For now, they will just remain a feast for my eyes.
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Care and propagation: full sun, well drained soil, water moderately. Propagate using seeds.
Fantastic! Now I feel like going out for ice cream…
Sweet. Reminds me of peonies.
Hi, cina_fong and alfredo. i wish it tasted like ice cream though. 😀
Truly Vi, your stories are a treat to read. I loved this post as much for the prose as I did the pictures. Simply lovely
You are too kind, Fern. Thanks for always being an encouragement to me. 🙂
hello! I came across your blog via greenculture. Those blooms look so delicate, fun and happy! It reminds me of 5 year old girls prancing around in tutus. Or little wood fairies from Enid Blyton’s short stories.
Mind if I ask, but where can I find the marigold french vanilla seeds? I live in Singapore.
i love it too, jacquelyn – just hope i can get some seeds from it but it seems to be sterile so far.
anyway, try Thompson & Morgan – they have an online catalogue and their seeds are second to none. here’s the url to the marigold french vanilla on their site:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/annual-bedding-plant-seeds/marigold-french-vanilla/1518TM
Hi Shamrock.. always love reading your entries. Have you eaten the flowers yet? How does it taste like?
Yes, they are simply beautiful…thanks for sharing.
hi, lilian. thanks ever so for your kind comments. i did taste the petals – once. i expected it to taste like vanilla but it didn’t. can’t quite describe the taste though. let me try it again tomorrow. 🙂
Greetings from Los angeles! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse your site on my iphone during lunch break.
I love the information you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my
phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, awesome blog!
thank you so much, Christine!