Years of work went into China’s preparations for the 2008 Olympics. Part of the preparation was designing landscapes and deciding which plants were best suited for those creations. Plants would need to withstand the high humidity and heat of a summer in Beijing. Field tests were held during the summer of 2007 to observe plant performance. One plant that made the list of more than 200 million used was PanAmerican Seed’s Taishan Marigold.
Taishan Marigold is a dwarf F1 African marigold, which was used predominantly in Beijing National Stadium, referred to as the Bird’s Nest. The plant was named for Taishan Mountain, thought to be the leader of China’s five sacred mountains. Taishan means stability in Chinese, and PanAmerican Seed says these marigolds are very stable, able to resist damage from shipping.
The new breed of marigold also offers stronger branching for improved landscape performance. It has a high-impact color, and the flowers are available in gold, yellow, orange or a mixture. Taishan Marigold will be available to the industry in 2010.
