Mexican Mint Marigold and Pineapple Sage

Tagetes lucida and Salvia elegans

Mexican mint marigold is one of my favorite plants. This herb’s fragrant leaves taste like tarragon and can be used to flavor sauces, soups, and salad dressings. Then it greets the fall season with bright golden-yellow flowers. It dies back in winter but returns very quickly. In February or March, cut back the brown foliage to the ground. It’s a small shrub that works well in a container, too.

Combine it with fragrant Pineapple sage for a new sniff sensation in the garden. Like Mexican mint marigold, this salvia blooms when day length shortens. It sports red flowers that attract hummingbirds. It can be susceptible to winter freezes and doesn’t always return.