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French marigold   

Tagetes patula

Belonging to the Tagetes genus, French marigold has a botanical name of Tagetes patula. The botanical name epithet patula means 'spreading'.

Summer long flowering – easy to grow. Good attractor for wildlife.

Colour companions – white Alyssum and blue lobelia.

Blooms typically mature to a diameter of 5.0 cm (1.95 inches imperial) and produce a spicy fragrance, whilst displaying in these approximate colours:   Barn red and   Cadmium orange. The blooms display an average of 13 petals. French marigold grows as an annual and is an edible flower / herb. Being an annual plant, it tends to grow best over the course of a single year. French marigold is known for growing with a erect habit to a height of approximately 15.0 cm (that's 5.85 inches in imperial). Expect blooming to occur in mid summer and harvesting to start by early summer. Try planting French marigold if you'd like to attract butterflies and bees to your garden. Popular varieties of French marigold include: Petite Mixed, Dwarf French Mix, Petite Yellow, Burpee's Best Mix, and Durango.

Mexico is thought to be the country of origin for French marigold.

Due to how easy it is to grow in a variety of conditions, French marigold is great for beginner gardeners and those that like low maintainance gardens.

This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about French marigold have been kindly provided by our members.

How to grow French marigold

  • Full Sun

    +
  • Medium

Sowing to flowering approx 8-10 weeks. Can cope with wind and strong rain.

Plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. As a rough idea of the types of climates French marigold does best in, check to see if your local area is within USDA Hardiness Zones 4 and 10. A soil ph of between 5.5 and 7.0 is ideal for French marigold as it does best in weakly acidic soil - neutral soil. Keep in mind when planting that French marigold is thought of as half hardy, so it will require protection in frosts and low temperatures.

Growing French marigold from seed

Sow the seed thinly in pots or trays on a windowsill or in a greenhouse in a good quality, finely sieved, moist compost. Remove seed tray cover at first sign of seed germination.

Sow at a depth of approx. 0.23 inches (0.6 cm) and aim for a distance of at least 1.95 inches (5.0 cm) between French marigold plants. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 15°C / 59°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations*, you should look at sowing French marigold about 49 days before your last frost date .

Transplanting French marigold

Transplant seedlings spacing them 5cm apart in trays and grow on. Acclimatise the plants to outside conditions and then plant 15 – 23cm apart in a sunny place. Can cope with any soil.

Companion plants for French marigold

These plants have been known to grow well alongside French marigold so consider planting:

Repellent plants for French marigold

These plants will not grow well with French marigold so avoid planting these within close proximity:

Common French marigold problems

These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect French marigold plants:

French marigold Folklore & Trivia

Marigolds typically have 13 petals. 1

Other names for French marigold

Marigold

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French marigold care instructions

How long does French marigold take to grow?

These estimates for how long French marigold takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world. Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!

When should I plant French marigold?

Our when to plant French marigold estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!

Footnotes

1 “Nature by numbers” Eureka may 2011 The Times (offline version)

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