The word "marigold" weaves through literature as both a vivid natural emblem and a marker of character and atmosphere. It frequently appears to evoke the beauty and vitality of nature—as in references to blooming gardens or the gentle splash of color in a scene [1], [2], [3], [4]—while also lending its name to characters whose traits resonate with warmth or striking individuality, such as “Doctor Marigold” or even a character cited simply by that surname [5], [6], [7]. Its botanical significance is underscored in texts that examine the flower’s structure or medicinal properties, blending scientific description with poetic imagery [8], [9]. Additionally, the term enriches narrative landscapes, setting the mood with sunny, evocative imagery that spans gentle pastoral settings to dynamic, symbolic moments [10], [11].
- I dreamed only of my house by the river and my garden where now are blooming pinks and marigold!”
— from Silver Cross by Mary Johnston
- There we encircled our guru, while students on upper balconies showered us with marigold blossoms.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
- Then she plants in the pot a marigold, a flower that is thought to be fadeless.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer
- Dazzling white the picotees shone; the golden-eyed marigold glittered; the nasturtiums wreathed the veranda poles in green and gold flame.
— from The Garden Party, and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
- I brought her young husband in, and I put her hand in his, and my only farther words to both of them were these: “Doctor Marigold’s last Prescription.
— from Doctor Marigold by Charles Dickens
- "A hundred pounds," said Marigold, without hesitating an instant.
— from Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories
The Young Folks Treasury, Volume 1
- With all his modest appetite for the simpler pleasures of existence, Doctor Marigold betrays in one instance, by the way, the taste of a gourmet .
— from Charles Dickens as a Reader by Charles Kent
- Capitulum or Flower-head of the Marigold, showing the involucre or whorl of overlapping bracts.
— from Field and Woodland Plants by William S. Furneaux
- The juice of Marigold leaves mixed with vinegar, and any hot swelling bathed with it, instantly gives ease, and assuages it.
— from The Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper
- To the west a dark church spire rose up against a marigold sky.
— from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
- Yes, it had been a wonderful [Pg 231] afternoon, full of geranium and marigold and verbena, and—warm sunshine.
— from Bliss, and other stories by Katherine Mansfield