ANNUALS > MARIGOLDS

IN THIS GUIDE

MARIGOLDS GUIDES

yellow blooming marigolds in a field

Companion PlantingDeadheadingPlantingSowingVarieties

marigold are among the most promptly - identifiable of flowers the world over – their rounded , obtusely - pack , flowerheads in gay hues from light yellow through Au to red stand out in any garden .

marigold are valued not only in gardens but for spiritual ceremonies in India.1Doctor , V. ( 2017 , October 20).Marigold : The Mexican flower that has become a part of Indian festivals . Economic Times Blog . Retrieved March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/onmyplate/marigold-the-mexican-flower-that-has-become-a-part-of-indian-festivals/

flowering Tagetes erecta in red, orange and yellow shades

A Planting of Golden Marigolds Decorates a Busy Road in Mexico City

Nearer home , these easy - caution plants are more appreciated for their toppingly farseeing flowering season .

There ’s nothing quite like a Marigold – very full and often a little noodle - shaped , its multi - petalled double blooms come in affectionate tones from lemon yellow through gold to near red .

The flowers are good - sized at 5 - 12 curium broad and are also unco symmetrical and proportional .

a sea of green foliage with yellow and orange marigold flowers

They havea very long anthesis time of year ; some varieties get get in mid - spring and extend into autumn .

Those are probably reasons enough that Marigolds are a summertime garden staple in so many countries stretching from the Americas through Europe to Australia.2Tagetes . ( n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Garden . Retrieved March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:325872-2

Another reason is that theseherbaceous annualsareeasy - originate low - attention plants .

A Planting of Golden Marigolds Decorates a Busy Road in Mexico City

A Planting of Golden Marigolds Decorates a Busy Road in Mexico City

The Marigolds that most person in most regions know and are accustomed to are members of the Tagetes genus.3Tagetes ( marigold ) . ( n.d . ) . Native Plant Trust : Go Botany . call up March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/genus/tagetes/

Overview

PreferredFull Sun

ExposureExposed or shelter

Height0.1 – 0.5 M

a large selection of orange flowering marigold plants growing in trays at a garden centre

Spread0.1 – 0.5 M

Bloom TimeJune – September

PreferredClay , loam , sand

tagetes seeds on a white surface

MoistureMoist but well run out

pHAny

Another ‘ Marigold , ’ usually differentiate by referring to it as ‘ Pot Marigold , ’ is better love in the British Isles than elsewhere .

small flowering marigold plants in plastic pots ready for planting out

This ‘ other Marigold ’ is from a separate genus : Calendula .

Some of its varieties bear a trivial resemblance to Tagetes Marigolds , hence the confusing naming .

Habitat & Growing Conditions

In their native region of Mexico , Central America , and South America , Tagetes species grow in and near woods and thickets , near small town , in fields , hillside , shrubland   – in curt , wherever it is at all potential for flora to grow.4Harris , S. ( n.d.).Tagetes metal money . Oxford University Plants . retrieve March 21 , 2023 , fromhttps://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/plants400/Profiles/st/Tagetes

These are tough plants and accommodate themselves to a variety of soils and climatical circumstance , a fact demonstrated by Tagetes specie easy cultivate themselves to numerous area where they have been introduced , including large swathes of Asia and Africa .

The only habitat they can not seize are frigid and glacial neighborhood as they are frost - tender with a Hardiness evaluation of only H2 .

potted marigolds being planted into soil by a gardener with a trowel

‘ African Marigolds ’ can and do grow in hotter and dryer locale than their ‘ French ’ relatives .

How To Grow Marigolds

marigold of many varieties are among the most easily - found plants at greenhouse and garden centres .

They are normally trade as plug plants in tray and young plants in small pots .

While brick - and - mortar outlets also deal Marigold semen , the blanket variety of seeds are found online at specialist merchandiser .

hand using blue secateurs to cut back an orange-flowering tagetes plant

If growing yourself , use a uninspired potting mix in modest biodegradable sight for easy transplanting and to build up in some tractableness .

Seeour guidelines for grow from seedfor more information .

“ I observe that if you ’re going to grow marigold , you have to commit to them , ” share Master Horticulturist Peter Lickorish .

pruning a marigold plant with blue handled secateurs

“ I ’m not just have-to doe with to the attention postulate to keep out invading slugs , but also the fact that marigolds do not mix well with other ornamental plants .

“ They ’re a great companion crop for vegetables , but I find that in a assorted margin , they will get swamped by other plants , especially , in the case of the more soft , Tagetes patula .

“ It is better for flower displays to give an area to take in a large wrapping of them , and they will richly reward you .   By the same relic , mixing the two main metal money will usually lead inTagetes erectadominating .

dried French Marigolds with withered foliage and flowers

“ To add interest , moot cause the funny taller industrial plant dot among them , such as a dark - folio Cordyline , to harmonize with their dusky tone . ”

Care & Growing Guidelines

Transplant outdoors after there is no danger of frost .

Space the young industrial plant per the spread and need of the variety in question .

Regardless of whether you seed Marigold seed directly outside or transplant them later , in the UK they should be sited in full sun .

a roadside stall in India with tagetes in a large basket

Marigolds are Commonly Seen at Roadside Stalls near Temples in India

In the sunnier , warm region of the nation they can be sit where they get filtered or dappled sunlight in the afternoon .

The soil should be a light and moderately prolific loam .

Good drain is preferred and is a must if the soil is at all clayey or otherwise gruelling .

For such democratic and pretty plants , Marigolds are amazingly low care .

They are unfussy about the case of soil and also the pH.

That enounce , the works will perform well if the stain is amended with some organic compost and the pH is between 6.0 and 7.5 .

Water them about every week but more often in teetotal and hot weather .

Though you do not take to water at soil level , do not allow for water to fall on the flowerheads .

As densely packed as they are , they are prone to moulder if they become pie-eyed .

Marigolds in the solid ground do not need fertilising after planting but a calorie-free feeding of tiresome - release 0 - 10 - 10 fertiliser just before the commencement of the flowering season will give the blooms to come that added boost .

Do not feed Marigolds with a balanced fertilizer .

SomeT. erectavarieties have a drug abuse that can only be described as a ‘ lanky riding habit ’ ( though a few others actually have a bushy habit ) .

They germinate up , produce a flower , and only then start to branch .

To nurture bushy increase , after the flora is about six weeks onetime , nip out the drawing card just above the uppermost leaf thickening .

T. patulavarieties are compact and bushy to begin with , and ask not ( or should not ) be pinch .

Regardless of whether or not you pinch aT. erectavariety , keep an eye on it .

If it get droopy , which can happen at any point in the plant ’s life , you should stake it .

Common Problems

African Marigold mixture can be attack by glasshouse red spider mite and may ‘ catch ’ powdery mildew .

Glasshouse red spider mites must be aim forethought of with hurry .

The good news is that you have a choice of handling – newer biological control include predatory tinge and a predatory midge .

Under glass , raising the humidity can avail reduce infestations .

It is not only humans who like the zesty taste of Marigolds , slugs and snail enjoy eating them too ; at least these gadfly are not too difficult to ensure .

Background & Origins

Tagetes species originated from the region of Mexico and Central America and cultivate in South America and the region of the American South - West , where they are now considered to be aboriginal .

Courtesy of the Spanish conquistador , plants were mail to Europe as ahead of time as the Sixteenth Century .

Carl Linnaeus described the genus in his Species Plantarum in the 1750s .

Later , Gallic floriculturists set forth to developT. patulain a big way ; as a outcome , colloquially this species came to be called ‘ Gallic Marigold ’ .

References