Hello The Internet, I'm so glad you guys are already talking about giant marigolds! I'd like to humbly introduce my friend Mona, the giant marigold.
About three years ago I got seeds for several different types of marigolds, some wildflower blends, and sunflowers. Most of them died out, but one breed of marigold is thriving here in my FL garden. I've reseeded marigold descendants from that original planting for 3 or 4 generations.
Mona grew from a seed produced by the 2nd or 3rd generation. You can see her brothers and sisters in the photos, Mona is not like them.
The rest of my marigolds grow about 8" tall and begin producing flowers. They also branch at the base of the plant, near the ground.
Mona grew about 18" tall before she started to branch. She developed a densely packed spiral of leaves which grew straight up (to 18") and then divided into symmetrically arranged copies of that original structure.
She's now huge. Her stalk is thicker than my thumb by a lot. We've had some tough rainstorms and she's a little crooked these days, but she still measures 36" vertical height. And she shows no blossoms...
I'm getting worried that Mona is some sort of mule mutant and may never produce flowers... but if she does, you guys, if she does... well, I guess I'll let change know
Anybody ever seen a marigold like Mona?
