Mexican Mint Marigold

Tagetes lucida

November 13, 2008: This plant just popped in my car today. That’s garden speak for “I didn’t intend to buy you and even though I’ve purchased everything I need, what’s one more?!” I went to the Natural Gardener, intending to buy several perennials on my fall purchase list, but they are not selling many perennials right now, either because many of them are starting to go dormant and I have missed the window for fall planting, or the perennials haven’t come in yet. So this healthy baby shrub with its compact form and pretty, clean leaves called out to me as I was passing through the herb section. I’m wanting to had more herbs to my garden.

Although I can’t say much about it now, Tagetes lucida is used as a tarragon here, since tarragon itself supposedly doesn’t do well in Texas. Alternately called ‘Texas Tarragon’ or ‘Spanish Tarragon’, you get the idea that it is a hot climate plant and in my research I found out that it will probably die back in winter but return in spring. I have no room for it at the moment so I added it to my growing potted herbs collection on my porch. Perhaps in this place it will get a little protection from the cold.