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planning out my vegetable garden for the spring, and I decided I should plant marigolds around the border. they keep ants away, and we've got an awful problem with ants. So I did a little more research into the flower, just to confirm they keep away insects, and found more interesting info.
Marigolds can be found in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Marigolds can adapt to a wide range of conditions, but prefer full sun and rich soils. The marigold is a hardy plant, usually with yellow, orange or rusty red blooms. Marigolds have what many people consider to be a disagreeable odor. Some varieties have been bred to be odor-free, but this negates their use as a plant that wards off insects in gardens. Marigolds are grown from seeds and range in height from 6 to 36 inches. The blossoms can be from 1/2 inch to 5 inches across.
The uses of marigolds vary widely in the different locales where marigolds grow. For example, in some places the leaves of marigolds have been used to remove warts. Marigolds are also grown and harvested in Mexico to be added to chicken feed. Chickens eating marigold-enriched feed produce eggs with a deep yellow color. The flesh of chickens fed marigolds also take on a rich color to make them more appealing for human consumption. The marigold blossoms are quite edible for humans, too, and are often used in egg and cheese dishes. The blossoms also make a yellow dye for fabric.
Just an interesting tidbit I thought I'd share with you, since I'm really balking at getting ready to go to work. It's about zero degrees out, and I'm really very toasty in the house...
