{"id":355010,"date":"2026-06-10T18:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T18:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/355010\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T18:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T18:11:11","slug":"the-oakland-public-library-is-giving-away-marigolds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/355010\/","title":{"rendered":"The Oakland Public Library Is Giving Away Marigolds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Then, in August, it wants you to bring them back for competitive measuring. Don\u2019t ask too many questions.<\/p>\n

Jun 10, 2026<\/p>\n

Updated 10:46 am PT<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Oakland Public Library wants YOU … to grow some nice, tall marigolds over the summer. Thanks.\u00a0(Ksenia Pixelesse\/Unsplash)<\/p>\n

If you feel like it\u2019s been forever since anyone gave you flowers, dry your eyes, turn off Taylor Swift\u2019s Red album, and journey to your nearest Oakland Public Library<\/a>. Why? Because libraries are where all the sexy people hang out, of course! But also \u2026 because nine branches in Oakland are currently giving marigolds away.<\/p>\n

Some fun facts about marigolds!<\/p>\n

Depending on the species, marigolds can grow up to four feet tall. Which is the same height as a donkey or an emperor penguin, two animals that absolutely should not be the same height as one other.Marigolds attract pollinators to gardens (yay, bees!) and repel pest insects (boo, aphids!).During D\u00eda de los Muertos, marigolds are a common sight because they\u2019re thought to guide spirits back to their loved ones.Marigolds \u200b\u200bthrive in full sunlight and well-drained soil, are relatively easy to grow, and stay out all summer long like your newly divorced auntie.What do marigolds smell like? It depends on the species but \u2026 weed, kind of. It\u2019s mostly weed. Or cat pee. Just have fun with it!<\/p>\n

The C\u00e9sar E. Ch\u00e1vez, Dimond, Elmhurst, Golden Gate, Martin Luther King Jr., Melrose, Rockridge, West Oakland and Main branches have been showering the public with these floral kisses since June 6. The last day to pick up a plant is June 12. There\u2019s only one catch. Like being handed a rose on The Bachelor, if you receive library marigolds, it means that you\u2019re automatically in competition.<\/p>\n

The Oakland Public Library, you see, wants to find out who can grow the tallest marigolds over the summer. That means (because librarians are gonna librarian), they want you to return with your flowers sometime between Aug. 22 and 29, so someone can measure your stems \u2014 which is not a euphemism for something less family-friendly.<\/p>\n

So, blossom-lovers, go pick up your cempas\u00fachil now, and prepare to fall in love with a silent organism all over again, just like you did with that sourdough starter in summer 2020. Once your marigold obsession has begun, expect a little extra sunshine in your home, a wholesome summer-long pursuit, and a number of confused questions from your neighbors. Including: \u201cCan I have my tape measure back?\u201d And \u201cWhy are you skipping your annual summer vacation?\u201d And, \u201cBut I thought you didn\u2019t like weed?\u201d<\/p>\n

You can register to take part in the marigold-growing contest here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Then, in August, it wants you to bring them back for competitive measuring. Don\u2019t ask too many questions.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355011,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-355010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}