The French Marigold, (Tagetes Tenuifolia), not only produces a beautiful array of flowers, it also provides a number of benefits that will keep your key crops healthy and pest free.Often found planted in butterfly gardens, these members of the daisy family are a great source of nectar, and therefore perfect for encouraging pollinators into your domain. Not only do French Marigolds keep bad bugs away, they are known to attract hoverflies, of which both the adult insect and larvae are avid aphid predators. With the average hoverfly larva eating around 800 aphids before it pupates they can provide a formidable defensive service.Known as the "workhorse of pest deterrents" the French Marigold can be planted freely amongst almost any crop plants. They are known to:
Slugs, who famously love chewing on your lettuce, prefer to eat French marigolds above all else when available, so they can also be used as trap crop to coax critters away from your edibles too.Don't confuse French Marigold with the pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis) which is great for attracting pollinators too, but won't help stave off the attack of garden scourges!Image: Mny-Jhee/Shutterstock