Marigolds are beautiful annual plants that are simple to sow and grow and therefore great for both the beginner and experienced gardener. They thrive in flower beds and containers, showcasing blooms of a variety of lovely colors, including white, yellow, orange, golden, red, and dark red throughout summer and fall.

Origin

Among marigolds in the genusTagetes,not to be confused with pot marigolds, the most commonly grown species are the French and Aztec marigold (Tagetes erecta), and signet marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia). Countless varieties have been bred from these two species throughout the years and there's a great variation in plant and bloom size, flower colors and patterns. Some plants might only grow a couple of inches or centimeters tall, while other varieties can reach over 5 feet or 1.5 meters in height.

The wild ancestors of these plants originate from Mexico and central America but are now poplar as garden plants all over the world.

Care

These are easy-to-sow and easy-to-grow annual plants. In colder climates you can sow them indoors about 1 - 2 months before moving them outside when the risk of freezing temperatures is over. In milder climates you can sow them directly in the ground or outdoors in pots. They might also re-seed themselves in your garden year after year in warmer climates.

Sowing seeds

The seeds of these plants usually keep a good viability for many years if stored dry and not too warm. The germination is generally quick with a high germination rate, so try to avoid sowing the seeds too densely.

Seeds are best sown in pots with seed-starting mix or regular all-purpose potting soil. While not absolutely necessary, mixing in about 10–20% perlite or vermiculite helps improve porosity and aeration for the roots. It can also make it easier to separate the seedlings once they’ve grown bigger later on. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil or vermiculite and keep them moist.

Optionally, you can provide the seeds and seedlings with a heat mat and a humidity dome during the first couple of weeks. However, a bright location sheltered from cold drafts at regular room temperature, without a dome, will work well too. Germination can take a couple of days to 1-2 weeks, depending on the temperature and how old the seeds are.

Once germinated, it's important to provide the seedlings with plenty of bright light to prevent etiolation. You can also give them ample light before germination to ensure they start out growing dense and compact from the beginning. Plenty of bright indirect light throughout the day is important, preferably with at least a couple of hours of direct sunlight exposure. If you sow them indoors early in the season in a region where daylight hours are still short, a supplemental grow light is very beneficial for the seedlings. Ideally, provide at least 12 to 14 hours of light each day.

When the seedlings have started to grow about two pairs of true leaves or more it's usually time to separate them into small individual pots.

Light and acclimation

Marigolds need plenty of light in order to grow and bloom well throughout summer. Preferably acclimating them to a location with direct sunlight exposure most of the day. As with most plants, it's best to gradually let the plants get used to the location before planting them there. Changes in both temperature, light and wind from what a plant is used to can stress it or even burn the leaves - even though it has the potential to handle it otherwise. It's therefore best to start with a sheltered location and gradually move it to the spot you've planned on planting them in over the course of 1-2 weeks. This is not necessary for plants sown directly in the final location though.

For seedlings cultivated indoors a sudden exposure to outdoor conditions can be enough to stress them. Try to therefore avoid all direct sunlight exposure and as much wind as possible, and move them out only a couple of hours during the day for a week, before following the previously mentioned steps.

Soil

Marigolds tolerate a wide range of soils and doesn't have any high demands. A high quality potting soil that's not too dense usually works really well for them. When growing them in the ground, they can tolerate both slightly sandy and clay-rich soils, preferably with plenty of organic matter.

Watering and fertilizing

These plants are not very sensitive when it comes to watering. For optimal growth, the soil surface can dry out between waterings, but the soil deeper in the pot should never be completely dry. The plant does, however, tend to tolerate slight drought better than overwatering.

Since they're fast growing and floriferous plants they also need a good supply of nutrients in order to grow and bloom well. Outdoors the easiest method is often to use a slow release fertilizer, but watering the plant with liquid fertilizer will also work well.

Blooming and saving seeds

Marigolds will bloom repeatedly throughout the season. To encourage continuous blooming during summer and fall, it's best to regularly remove spent blooms. This practice eliminates any seed pods, and removing them signals the plant to keep producing flowers.

If you want to save seeds you can let some spent blooms be left on the plant in late summer but before fall enters. This should be late enough to help it continue blooming well while still having enough time to make mature seeds. Once the pod and seeds seem to have dried totally on their own you can collect them and save them for sowing next year.

If you grow multiple varieties of marigold in your garden at the same time it's possible that these might hybridize and result in new, different interesting plants next year if you save the seeds. It can be interesting to see the variation and save seeds from your favorite plants from year to year until you've got your own stable strain.

If you want to reduce the risk of cross pollination you can place a small semi-transparent mesh bag over a flower bud before it has managed to open up. This should stop pollinators from cross pollinating that flower. Let the bag be left on the plant until the flower is done blooming. The resulting seeds won't be cross pollinated.

Other

Festivities

Marigolds are the main flowers associated with some holidays around the world today, like Día de los muertos and Diwali.They were also sacred to Mayan cultures, and in both Aztec and Mayan cultures, the plant was often used to honor gods and spirits.

Edibility

Flowers of both of these species are edible and can bring wonderful color to your dishes and as decoration when baking. Varieties of thesignet marigold does however also bring a fresh citrus fragrance and taste when using either the blooms or the leaves.

These plants are generally seen as slightly more deer-resistant than some other annuals.

Names and taxonomy

Due to their popularity around the world, these plants have many common names. Many, but not all considerTagetes patulato be a synonym ofTagetes erecta, thus lumping both French marigolds and Aztec marigolds together as varieties of the same species.
Some of the common names used for these species are:

Tagetes erecta-African marigold, American marigold, Aztec marigold, big marigold, Mexican marigold, saffron marigold

Tagetes erecta(formerlyTagetes patula) - French marigold, dwarf marigold, dwarf French marigold, spreading marigold, wild marigold

Tagetes tenuifolia-signet marigold, golden marigold, lemon marigold