Sure, marigolds make great bedding plants, but their bold blooms also enhance cut flower arrangements. Here are seven bright ways to display your favorite marigolds.
Easy-to-grow marigolds produce a profusion of brightly colored blooms. Here are seven ideas for showing off cut marigolds' brilliant colors.
1. Go vertical. A wooden ladder turns three simple jars of marigolds into an eye-catching display. This method can be used indoors or out; it's perfect for transforming a dreary corner of a room or for accenting your deck or garden. Swap out the blooms with fresh flowers as needed.
2. Be bold. Pairing marigolds with a few larger, boldly-colored flowers – like these pink roses – allows a small arrangement to make a big statement. An old-fashioned stoneware pitcher gives a casual farmhouse feel to the display of 'Yves Piaget' roses, 'Durango Red' and 'Red Gem' marigolds and a few Persian carpet zinias .
3. Contrast cool and warm. Display warm-colored blooms in jars of a contrasting cool color to make your arrangement pop. Flowers shown below (clockwise from top left): Tagetes erecta 'Giant Yellow', Tagetes tenuifolia 'Tangerine Gem', Tagetes patula 'Frances' Choice', Tagetes erecta 'Giant Orange', Tagetes tenuifolia 'Red Gem' and Tagetes patula 'Durango Red'.
4. Mix it up. Use large marigolds like 'Giant Orange' Africans to anchor an arrangement that includes a mix of other, smaller flowers and greenery. In addition to 'Giant Orange,' this McCoy vase holds 'Tangerine Gem' marigolds, Zinnia 'Queen Red Lime', 'Yves Piaget' roses and two scented geraniums: 'Concolor Lace' and 'Lady Plymouth.'
5. String them along. Collect marigold heads of as many sizes and varieties as you like, then sew them together with a needle and thread to create a gorgeous floral garland. The festive strands can be strung indoors or out. See how to make this project.
6. Soften the look. Rather than play up marigolds' bold nature, create an arrangement with more subtle tones by using only yellow and dusky purple flowers. Below, a milk-vase compote elevates a combo of Tagetes patula 'Vanilla', Delphinium consolida 'Earl Gray', Nigella damascena, Daucus carota var. sativus 'Black Knight', Persian carpet zinnias, Salvia officinalis 'Berggarten', and golden raspberries.
7.Decorate a wreath. Transform a grapevine wreath into a bright floral display by trimming the stems of your marigolds so they are just short enough to weave into the vines of the wreath. Try this idea in the fall with pumpkins for accents!
