Some people thumb their noses at marigolds, but you can’t ask for a better performing annual. They are ridiculously easy to sprout from seed, resist heat and drought, and will bloom disease-free until frost if you deadhead them. I used to fill spaces in all my gardens with marigolds until the Japanese Beetles arrived. They love marigolds—especially the large-flowered cultivars.
It’s disgusting to visit your garden in mid-afternoon and see each of your marigold blooms buried in 20 or 30 munching beetles. Several years ago, I finally couldn’t take it any longer and banished marigolds from my garden.
Last summer I made an exception for a new cultivar called ‘Mumsy.’ This marigold grows about 14 inches tall with curly petals that resemble chrysanthemum flowers. ‘Mumsy’ comes in orange, yellow and gold. I planted ‘Mumsy Gold’.
Like all other marigolds, they were a cinch to sprout from seed, and they bloomed all summer long. What’s even better is that the Japanese Beetles had absolutely no interest in them. Why? I have no clue. Perhaps they didn’t like the twisted petals poking them in the belly. They congregated on other plants in my garden, but not ‘Mumsy Gold.’ It was a sweet victory.