Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere!

A few years ago, I was in the local dollar store when I spied the flower seeds! Not being one that can ever pass up the seed rack without at least browsing a bit, I immediately started planning a wonderful flower garden for the back yard. I gathered moonflowers, zinnias, daisies, cosmos and....marigolds. The garden did well that spring and on into summer. All of my cheap seeds grew into lush plants and provided copious amounts of brilliant color to the yard! I was elated and decided from that day on, I would buy most of my seeds from the dollar store! There was no need to spend dollars upon dollars for expensive seeds when here I could get three packs for a single buck! This was great! I could save tons of money and still have a gorgeous garden!

Well as I said, the garden did well. The next year, a few of the daisies had seeded themselves along with a couple of the moonflowers but no zinnias or cosmos made an appearance. That was ok since I could run to the store and replace those! But...those marigolds! The marigolds made an appearance alright! Hundreds of tiny plants grew wherever the seeds fell. I had marigolds in the squash garden, in the blackberries and in the pathway, not just in the original flower garden! Each year afterwards, more marigolds would sprout and flourish! The blooms were beautiful and the plants rampant! My garden soon became a marigold garden as they sort of blocked out all other plants! The third year after planting, I picked seeds as I did not want marigolds in all the other gardens. I thought that if I picked all of the old flower heads, I would not have unwanted plants the following year. Ha! I picked three gallons of marigold seeds before I grew tired of being hunched over in the hot sun! I gave marigold seeds to everyone I knew! All of this was to no avail, though. The next spring..marigolds.....everywhere!

Son has taken to mowing my marigolds to the ground each time he cuts grass. He hoes them out of the vegetable gardens and weeds them from the mulched paths. I cringe each time I see him ripping another of my beautiful flowers from the ground. I like marigolds! I do not want to just discard them like rubbish! He does not like marigolds as much..he does toss them on the trash heap. I do have to admit that perhaps I have too many. The marigolds are in every nook and cranny of the gardens..every garden. About mid-summer or early fall, the yard will be a sea of orange and gold!

Each time I walk through the garden, I have to wonder just why these did so well. Why can't my potatoes or green beans be as prolific as the marigolds? Why aren't the cucumbers and peas covered with as many blossoms as these plants? Why don't marigolds make a fruit or vegetable that would be a tasty addition to my dinner table? Lots of questions and lots of plants! Hmmmm..does anybody want some marigolds? I have them! Come dig up a few!!!