Ask a Master Gardener: Peculiar marigold coloration and good plants for pollinators

This marigold appears to have a novel trait where the dark color rapidly fades so it appears the plant has flowers of two colors. (Photo by Michele Quinn)
This marigold appears to have a novel trait where the dark color rapidly fades so it appears the plant has flowers of two colors. (Photo by Michele Quinn)

Q: I planted two kinds of marigolds last year and saved some seed. When I planted them out this year, it seems the plants are expressing the two kinds of flowers on the same plant. This is happening with all of them. What's the deal?

A: I ran this by our state floriculture specialist Dave Trinklein. I think this might be a case of a mahogany-colored marigold that rapidly fades to orange as the blossoms age. The mahogany flowers are not fully open, while the orange flowers appear to be.

Another option is the more yellow blooms opened when it was warmer and these orange ones are coinciding with some of these crisp nights. Cool temperature sometimes strengthen reddish and purplish tones.

Saving seeds can be a lot of fun. Some plants, like marigolds, are remarkable self-seeders. Look for the seedlings where the plants were the prior year and then help them to become a nice stand. Other summer flowers that often do this are cosmos, cleome, sunflowers and zinnia.

Q: I have grass growing around my blackberries and would like to use an herbicide to knock the grass back. Is there a product I can use and any suggestions?

A: There are grass killers labeled for use around fruits and vegetables. The problem is the restriction imposed on the label from the time of using it to when you can harvest. For example, Hi-Yield Grass Killer (Fertilome.com) says the minimum time from using it to harvesting blackberries is 45 days. If your blackberries don't typically ripen until mid-July, you'd have time to use it. If they come off early, you shouldn't. This stresses the importance to always read the label of any pesticide.

I have used grass killers and while they don't damage broad leaf plants if contacted, try to limit the amount of herbicide that contacts them by directing the spray carefully. The foliage of desired plants might change color and its growth get set back a little, but they come out of it. Spraying in the early morning or evening to avoid the spray from contacting the foliage in full sun and heat would also lessen the chance of adverse injury to the desired plants.

Q: I bought a couple of Proven Winner annuals and wanted to see if they are good for pollinators. I didn't see it mentioned on the tag. When I looked online, some sources said they were. Where can I get a good answer?

A: Finding out what annual type flowering plants benefit pollinators can be tricky. One reason is it's an area of high interest, so new releases may have tried to breed or select plants that produce nectar and pollen. When that has been done, we'd hope the tag may brag about it, but then there is a lot of info to cover on a tag or seed packet. For Proven Winners specifically, I emailed a marketing specialist the question, as it perked my interest. Here's the response:

"We have a list of different features that might apply to our plants. To see that list of features, click this link: https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/search/annuals. This is one of our plant records. If you scroll down below the photos, you'll see we list a number of features. That includes the info that it attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies - plus a number of other items. Tags, as you know, are small and there is limited availability for information. We list up to three features on each tag. I have the features ranked in importance and the first three according to that ranking are pulled and added to the tag. This often leaves a number of worthy plant benefits/features that don't make the cut."

Some commonly recognized annuals that benefit pollinators (bees, flies, butterflies and/or hummingbirds) are as follows: Sweet alyssum, Bachelor's button (cornflower), Cosmos*, Flowering tobacco, Lantana, Marigold*, Portulaca* (moss rose)*, Cleome (spider plant), Sunflowers* and Zinnias*.

*Use single blooming types whenever possible. Double petal types often restrict pollinator access to nectar & pollen.

Also, don't forget the herbs. Whether annual or perennial, many herbs serve pollinators well, and you're likely to cook with several. Here are an easy 10 to consider: basil, borage, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, lavender, mint, oregano and sage.