Marigolds

Annual. Invite this bold French marigold into your garden for masses of gilded blooms with natural pest-repelling qualities! Large bicolored blooms of red and gold are simply stunning. This is the ultimate useful flower! Not only are the petals edible, it can repel garden pests such as whiteflies and nematodes. Try interplanting this beauty among your vegetable crops!

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Tagetes patula

Annual. This giant African type is popular with gardeners coast to coast. Big double blooms come in shades of lemon yellow to deep orange, and the 30" plants are profuse.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Tagetes erecta

Upbeat yellow blooms on dwarf, bushy plants are ideal for beds, borders, and containers. The pretty golden-yellow, double flowers make a magnificent natural dye for food and fabrics!

• Annual
• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Tagetes patula nana

Annual. A stellar, crystal-white headed marigold that is sure to amaze! This variety has lovely 3-inch creamy-white blooms that really stand out from the traditional gold, yellow and bronze marigolds! White marigolds were long in the making; in fact, Burpee Seed Company spent 56 years of searching and breeding before finding success. After years of trying, David Burpee offered $10,000 to the first home gardener who sent in the right seeds to help make a real white variety; thousands of gardeners responded for years. One lady, Alice Vonk of Sully, Iowa, sent seeds for 21 years, and in 1975, Burpee awarded her the coveted prize for her work—after the company had spent more than five decades and $250,000 testing during the contest years. Now there are several white varieties, including this beauty that was developed by Hem Zaden seed company, on a farm on Mount Kilimanjaro. We love the fluffy white flowers in bouquets.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Tagetes erecta nana

A smoldering and memorable marigold with gracefully wavy stems, and smoky orange and red blooms that resemble embers in a crackling fire. This old variety has long been tended at the Linneas Botantical Gardens in Uppsala, Sweden.

• 8-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 Degrees F
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
  
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Tagetes patula linneaus
  

Growing Tips: Sow indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost (for transplants); or direct seed after last spring frost. Sow in ordinary garden soil. Thrives in full sun, summer heat. Remove spent flowers to prolong blooming period.

Annual. We love the unique blooms on this dwarf French type! Bronzy red to orange single petals with a bright orange plume of petals at the center. Try planting these special marigolds en masse or along borders for a flaming effect in the garden. Don’t forget that French marigolds are naturally pest resistant and make useful companion plants to things like squash and tomatoes!

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Tagetes patula

Growing Tips: For transplants, sow indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost. May also be direct seeded after last spring frost into ordinary garden soil. Thrives in full sun and summer heat. Remove spent flowers to prolong blooming period.

Colossal blooms can grow to 5 inches wide and are a vivid tangerine-orange. Orange Hawaii is the most striking and beautiful African type. The behemoth blooms will wow in the garden and are rich in the orange-hued antioxidant beta carotene, making them the top choice for making natural dyes for fabric or food. Orange Hawaii is also the gold standard for feeding to poultry to enhance the orange color of egg yolks. A bold landscape plant, proudly standing 3 feet tall and smothered in massive flowers, the best for making marigold garlands and altars.

• Annual
• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Plant Height: 3'
• Frost Hardy: No
• Tagetes erecta

Our Favorite! Extra large, attractive, super-double flowers with tubular petals. The color is a pleasing, clear orange rather than the harsh orange-brown so often seen in African marigolds. Plants are rather compact, seldom exceeding 20 inches. Very uniform size is ideal for cutting, yet earns its keep in the border.

• 8-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 Degrees F
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
  
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Tagetes erecta nana
  

Growing Tips: Sow indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost (for transplants); or direct seed after last spring frost. Sow in ordinary garden soil. Thrives in full sun, summer heat. Remove spent flowers to prolong blooming period.

Enjoy this late-blooming marigold in teas and other drinks; a great flavoring for many dishes. This old Hispanic heirloom is hard to find nowadays, but is still a great garden plant that is easy to grow and quite flavorful.

• Tender Perennial
• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/4"
• Ideal Temperature: 75-80 F
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Tagetes lucida