If Japanese beetles have taken over your yard and scared you away from growing large-flowering marigolds, I have the antidote. The ‘Moonstruck’ series of marigolds have blooms that are so big and so tightly whorled that the little scavengers aren’t able to push their fat little selves in far enough to do any damage.
The beetles were very scarce last summer in my yard, but this year they’ve made a bit of a comeback. While I’m never pleased to see the beetles, I laugh whenever I see this:
Fatty McFatterson tries his darnedest, but just can’t borrow into the thick petals of ‘Moonstruck Yellow’ marigold.
If you’re eating your breakfast right now you might want to scroll past the next photo very quickly. My ‘Garland Orange’ marigolds do not have super-tight petals like the Moonstrucks, so more than once this summer I’ve come upon this disgusting scene:
Ick! This “gang” will take out an entire pompon in just one day.
Moonstruck marigolds grow 12-18 inches tall and come in yellow, lemon-yellow and orange. They became my new favorite annual last year because they flower so heavily and the blooms are huge. The flower to foliage ratio is very impressive.
Moonstruck margiolds are happy in full sun or partial-shade and will bloom and bloom and bloom until frost. I started my plants indoors from seed 6 weeks before my last frost date. You can also sow the seeds directly in a flowerbed after the threat of frost has passed in the spring.