Goldmarie: plants, winter hardiness & varieties

The Goldmarie, or Bidens, is a particularly long-flowering ornamental plant for the garden and balcony. We introduce the genus Bidens and give tips on planting and care.

The two tooth (Bidens) forms insect-friendly flowers throughout the summer and is therefore visited by many bees. We give tips on planting and caring for the pretty summer flower.

Goldmarie: characteristics and origin

The Goldmarie, also called Bidens or Zweizahn, belongs to the daisy family of plants (Asteraceae) and is represented worldwide with more than 200 species. A total of five species occur in Germany, two of which are neophytes. In the large genus Bidens There are annual and perennial, herbaceous plants with a growth height of between 10 and 150 cm.

Above all, Goldmarie, who comes from Mexico (Bidens ferulifolia) with a growth height of between 15 and 40 cm as an ornamental summer flower for balconies and terraces. The leaves of the two-toothed are arranged oppositely on the upright to overhanging shoots and are broadly ovate to lanceolate in shape, with a simple to divided leaf blade. Biden blooms between May and October, with numerous flower heads forming at each end of the stem. The star-shaped flower, typical of composite plants, consists of a center of numerous small tubular flowers and a wreath of mostly five to seven, yellow, white, orange to red or pink colored wide ray florets. In some Bidens species, however, the decorative flower wreath is missing. After pollination, oblong seeds with a dark skin form, the so-called achene fruits. They have an appendage for spreading, the pappus, which gave the bidentate its name. It usually consists of two bristle-like teeth with small hooks, which hook into the animal's fur on contact and thus transport the seed over long distances.

Is Bidens bee friendly? The two-toothed bee is one of the most bee-friendly flowers, as it offers both nectar and pollen and has a slightly sweet scent. The flowers are often visited by various species of bees and bumblebees.

The most beautiful Bidens varieties and species

Wildly represented in this country are three-piece two-tooth (Bidens tripliner via), pinnate bidentine (Bidens bipinnata), nodding bidens (Bidens cernua), black-fruited bidens (Bidens frondosa) and the fused bidentine (Bidens connata). Only varieties of the Goldmarie and hybrid varieties are actually offered as ornamental summer bloomers. We give an overview of the most beautiful Bidens varieties for the garden and balcony.

• 'BeeDance': One of the best-known two-toothed varieties, which was voted balcony plant of the year in Bavaria in 2016. The beedance flower impresses with its long flowering period from June to October and the ornamental, orange-yellow flowers.
• 'Bee Happy': Attractive variety with orange petals fading to golden yellow towards the center. 'Bee Happy' reaches a height of 35 cm and flowers between May and October.
• Blazing Glory: Bicolor variety with sunny yellow petals that turn dark orange towards the tip. The plants reach a height of 25 - 30 cm.

• ‘Cupcake Banana Cream’: Bidens hybrid with creamy yellow petals that are slightly darker sun yellow in the center. The variety stays low and reaches a height of 15 - 25 cm.
• 'Golden Empire': Two-toothed with pure golden yellow flowers and a growth height of up to 40 cm. The flowering time of the Goldmarie variety is between May and October.

• 'Pretty in Pink': Pale pink Bidens variety with dark pink stripes and yellow center. This extremely rare coloring of the two-toothed canes is seen between June and October on plants that are 35 cm tall.
• ‘Taka Tuka’: The colorful series of varieties of the Bidens ferulifolia 'Taka Tuka' is characterized by a low, wide habit of up to 35 cm in height and width. There are orange, white, yellow and red cultivars sold as 'Taka Tuka' bidens, which produce a lush carpet of flowers throughout the summer.
• 'White Delight': White bidens with arching habit and 25 cm in height. The lush flowering variety with creamy white ray florets is well suited for hanging baskets.

Planting Bidens: location and procedure

The optimal location for Bidens is warm and sunny on fresh, never completely drying out and nutrient-rich soil. Partial shade is tolerated, but there are usually fewer flowers. Planting outdoors starts in mid-May after the ice saints when the last late frosts have subsided. The planting distance to other flowers should be about 25 to 40 cm so that the two-toothed can spread well.

Planting in beds is just as possible as cultivation in pots and planters. The Goldmarie is one of the most popular summer flowers for balcony boxes, hanging baskets, planters and Troughs because it takes up little root space, grows slightly overhanging and is lush at the same time blooms. Repotting into a larger vessel is definitely necessary. Because purchased specimens have usually already completely rooted the existing pot.

Since the Bidens does not tolerate waterlogging, every planter should have good water drainage. For planting the Goldmarie, we recommend using a nutrient-rich potting soil such as ours Plantura organic potting soil. The completely peat-free substrate is pre-fertilized and thus has a small supply of nutrients, which supplies the two-toothed plants in the first time after potting. The high compost content of our soil also makes it possible to store moisture effectively and release it to the plant roots when needed.

In larger plant troughs or bowls, the Goldmarie is often combined with other summer flowering plants. Combinations with white, violet or blue flowering species, such as the Mannentreu (Lobelia erinus), elf mirror (Nemesia), scented stone rich (Lobularia), geraniums (pelargonium) or sage species (Salvia).

Care of the Goldmarie

Caring for Bidens is quite easy. Faded blooms are shed by the modern strains themselves, so no trimming is required. As with many annual summer flowers, regular water and fertilizer are the most important care measures. Since the two-toothed plant always needs slightly moist substrates that must never dry out completely, it should be watered extensively early in the morning, especially on hot summer days. Since the Goldmarie forms numerous new shoots and flowers throughout the summer, the need for nutrients is also increased. Between June and September, an organic liquid fertilizer, like ours, will take care of it Plantura organic flower & balcony fertilizer, the bee-friendly Bidens with all the necessary nutrients. It is simply mixed with the irrigation water once a week and thus reaches the plant roots directly when watering.

Are two teeth hardy?

The Bidens planted in our garden as summer bloomers is not hardy, as the varieties are mainly descended from the Goldmarie native to Mexico. Even light frosts can severely damage the plant and cause it to die. Theoretically, overwintering is possible, but many summer bloomers survive the winter quarters poorly and suffer from fungal and pest infestation. Propagating new from seed in early spring or buying a fresh bulb is more worthwhile than trying to successfully overwinter the old plant. Because it usually performs worse in terms of flowering splendor and vigour.

effect as a medicinal plant

In earlier times, the three-part two-tooth native to us was used as a medicinal plant in folk medicine. The leaves, but also parts of the entire plant, are harvested at the time of flowering and gently dried. This should be done in an airy, warm place without direct sunlight in order to preserve as many of the ingredients as possible, such as essential oils, bitter substances and tannins. The dried two-toothed herb is infused with hot water and prepared as a tea or extract. Used internally, the diuretic herb develops its effect as a diuretic and to prevent kidney and gallstones. As a sitz bath or in moist compresses, Zweizahn works against hemorrhoids and improves wound healing. The Golden Two Tooth (Bidens aurea) is also considered an aromatic tea plant.

However, people with a known allergy to daisy family should refrain from using two-toothed plants as a medicinal plant.

Is Biden's Toxic?

The two-toothed is not poisonous, neither for humans nor animals. Sensitive people can rarely experience allergic skin irritation when they come into contact with the plant. It is therefore advisable to wear gloves when cutting or potting the two-toothed plant.

The snapdragons (antirrhinum) is another free-flowering summer plant that attracts bumblebees in particular with its unusually shaped flowers. We give tips on the culture, care and propagation of snapdragons.