One of my favourite spring-flowering annuals would have to be marigolds - including those flowers commonly referred to as Tagetes and Calendulas. They just shout SPRING when they finally explode open to dazzle us with an array of oranges, yellows and every hue in between. And, no matter how you plant them - spotted throughout a bed or as a mass planting - there's no denying that they make an impression.

They originated from South America but with their scientific name Tagetes (pronounced Tar-sjets) you would be forgiven for thinking they were French. Alas, the French don't get to own this one. Calendulas, often referred to as English Marigolds aren't English, instead they're Mediterranean in origin. Furthermore they're not even true marigolds - hailing from the Asteraceae family instead. It's easy to see that the romance of these flowers has had us believe many things about them that haven't been quite true.

Regardless, these flowers are great in the spring garden. From seed they only take about 50 days to flower so they offer an almost instant breath of colour into a garden waking up from the dormant cold.

Seed can be sown directly into the soil once the last threat of frost has passed but most gardeners often choose to propagate them in seedling trays and raise them in cold frames throughout the winter. Then once the soil warms up they can be immediately transplanted into your garden beds. This allows them to be flowering almost as soon as they hit the ground.

Once the initial flush has passed, marigolds can be deadheaded to allow a further seasonal flurry of blooms to once again decorate your beds. Or, if you're impatient like me, you can tear them out and transplant a heap more seedlings in their place.

Seed can be collected from the spent blooms and saved for future seasons or you can allow them to drop their seed in the garden bed to self-sow. While you can always expect marigolds to bloom from their seed their is no guarantee, especially with the hybrids, that you will get the same colours and markings.

The actual marigold plant will only grow between 30 - 60cm (12-25 inches) in height making them an ideal annual border plant. Yet don't be intimidated by their small, compact shape as each plant will produce flowers in abundance mostly covering their foliage.

For the companion planter, or permaculturalist, marigolds are as important as hedges are to a formal garden. Their pungent odour deters many would-be predators including rabbits, moths and caterpillars and their intense colour can be distracting for these pests as well.

However, while these flowers may deter pests they are very appreciated by us humans. We've used them in salads, as flavourings for vinegars and even in some desserts. And when we're not eating them we trying to find ways to use them to salve our sore and weary bodies.

So you can see, marigolds have innumerable benefits; they're easy to grow and provide colour in our garden beds, they deter pests, enrich our meals and provide health benefits as well. You would be hard-pressed to find another plant that offers this much to the home gardener which makes marigolds a stand-out winner in any garden.