Sweet Mace or Mexican Mint French Marigold

I fell in love with these last year, but didn't save seeds. I ordered them again this year, but the germination rate was the pits! Only had 3 plants germinate with direct sow in the spring, MUCH fewer than I had in 2017. Maybe it was a bad batch! :-/ The plants that have come up, though, smelled great (even though they seemed to be blooming late as well) and the little yellow flowers were a lovely treasure added to the butterfly garden. I was also disappointed that so few seeds came in the package this time; I would love to see these available in a 1/4oz package, or something larger than what was available in 2018. I would grow a HUGE patch of this for tea, or possibly a tarragon substitute? (they smell very similar to me) If you order them, get a MINIMUM of 2 packages--you won't regret it!

I wish my family liked tarragon because this is the best substitute. It grew well under my tomatillos.

Note that is is not French tarragon, despite the title above. The Latin name is accurate. I live in a warm climate where Mexican tarragon grows as a perennial, and it has far outperformed the standard French tarragon that I've also grown. It has a nice anise-like flavor to the leaves, with a bit of sourness as well, and the flowers are almost candy-like with a strong punch of fennel flavor. It has been no trouble to grow and I've added more of it this year. The plant grew as a slender stalk for about 8 months before branching out. I trimmed it back hard and now have a bushy plant about 18" across. It's been in flower almost constantly, taking a break between November and February. I eat it dice up with fruits of greens, and have ground it in a mortar and pestle and used it in a vinaigrette. An easy and productive perennial in my climate, with an interesting flavor.

This anise/tarragon scented plant is easy to grow in the hot, dry summers of the San Joaquin Valley. It seems to die back after the winter frost, but comes back quickly with new growth in the spring. My original plant is now 4 years old: I cut it back to about 4 inches in November now, and in April I have new foot long growth, double in bushiness to the previous year. It's about 2 feet tall by late summer, and there are still plenty of blooms for El Dia Day Los Muertos in the fall. Pest free, amazing scent, a sprig on my collar seems to be a decent mosquito repellent, too! Fish, poultry, tea, vegetable broth.

Beautiful flowers in the fall and wonderful scent and flavor all year long. This is tarragon flavor for the south where the other tarragon won't grow. It is especially good in chicken salad, in particular, the fruited kind. It's also great under the skin of a baked chicken.