Marigolds help send pests in the wrong direction and is an ideal 'companion plant'

Marigolds can be a multi-purpose source of colour in the garden as well as being a valuable companion for the veg patch, writes Fiann Ó Nualláin.

I wasn’t much a fan of French or African marigolds (Tagetes spp) when I was growing up — my Dad would send me into town to pick up a few bundles, whenever he decided it was time to refresh the border edge of the path into our house after the spring bulbs had receded.

Generally, that was the first or second week in May. They, like wallflowers and other bedding, were sometimes wrapped in wet newspaper and elastic bands —and even now I can vividly relive the icky touch of the soggy bundles in the palm of my hands — it’s my ‘nails on the blackboard’ equivalent.