Marigolds deserve the medal for being the flowers with the lowest maintenance required. In fact, some experts claim that marigolds are nearly care free. Thats not quite true, but if your garden color scheme runs to yellows and oranges, you cant go wrong with the trusty marigold.

Although marigolds are one of the few popular garden plants where its possible to grow from seed indoors and plant outside later, novice gardeners would do better to buy the plants already started in the plastic packs at your garden center. Marigolds will do well in bedding, pots, edgings, window boxes and some can even be used as cut flowers and taken inside as part of a beautiful arrangement.

As you browse the marigold section of your garden center, you will select your marigolds based on color from orange, yellow, red, cream and maroon but make sure you check the plastic tags for their projected height as well. Varieties of marigolds can grow from six inches to three feet high, so youll want to take those heights into account if you are going to group the plants together.

In your garden center, you will typically buy a plastic pack of marigolds that contains three or four plants. When you get home, all you have to do is gently remove the plant from the pack and put it in a hole the size of the dirt that surrounds the roots. Novice gardeners often believe plants are more delicate than they are. Sometimes these plants will become attached via their roots. Dont worry you can just separate them by gently pulling them apart.

Marigolds will thrive in the sun in moist, well-drained soil. Like many plants, they will appreciate being watered directly in the soil (rather than having the water rain down on them). Marigolds may appreciate some feeding during the season, but they really dont require it.

One word of warning: marigolds have a distinctive scent. Some people love it, others dont. Before you invest in marigolds for your garden, make sure you stick your nose right in the plants and take a good whiff. Its probably this scent that has made some people believe that marigolds will keep insect pests out of your garden. Some gardeners swear its true. The scientific evidence is inconclusive.

The only maintenance marigolds require is whats called deadheading. This means you pinch off the dead blooms in order to make room for new ones. Some garden experts claim that even that isnt necessary, but its little work thats necessary in exchange for the beauty and color marigolds add to your garden all season long.