Corn marigold is an annual flower that bears bright golden blooms on upright stems for months in summer, and which are excellent for wildlife. It can also be a short-lived biennial if sown later in the summer in milder areas to bloom the following year. Flowers are single and daisy-like in form and up to 5cm across, borne singly on fleshy green stems. The leaves are long, mid green to blue-green in colour, and divided in shape, making an attractive contrast to the flowers. Corn marigold is easy to grow from seed sown direct in a sunny site and on most free-draining soils apart from those which are alkaline (containing lime). Although corn marigold often self-sows to regrow in future years, especially on newly cultivated or disturbed ground, it's not an invasive plant as any unwanted ones are easy to pull up and compost.
The botanical name Glebionis segetum has recently been changed from Chrysanthemum segetum.
For centuries, before the advent of modern weedkillers, corn marigold grew so abundantly in arable crops that it was a problematic weed, not just for its sheer quantity but because the stems take a long time to dry and tended to cause baled straw to rot. In some countries the young shoots are eaten as a vegetable, although this may not be advisable as recent research suggests the leaves contain coumarin which is an anti-coagulant. Its most popular name of corn marigold arose as it occurred in abundance in cornfields, along with corn poppy, cornflower, and corncockle. Nowadays these four flowers are popular components of seed mixes to create annual wildflower meadows. Ironically, given its past abundance, corn marigold is now relatively scarce in the wild and is listed ‘amber’, meaning it is a vulnerable plant, which makes it even more worthwhile to grow in our gardens. Corn marigold has a wealth of other common names including field marigold, golden marigold, golden cornflower, yellow horse daisy, boodle, buddle, and goldings.
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Advice on buying corn marigold
Corn marigold is best sown from seed, and seeds are available from a number of online suppliers
Always buy from a reputable seed company to ensure the seeds germinate strongly
