Count on this annual to churn out colorful flowers all summer long.
A garden favorite for their brightly colored flowers, French marigolds are easy to grow and care for.
These heat-loving annuals last the entire growing season, blooming awayuntil frost.
Doug Hetherington .
French marigolds typically come inwarm oranges, yellows, and reds.
Some varieties have a single row of petals, while others have pompon-like, petal-packed double blooms.
Plus, it seems like a new marigold shade or petal throw in is introduced each year.
Credit: Ed Gohlich
Plant breeders are always looking for ways to make French Marigolds do just a little more.
A recent innovation was a color breakthroughthe first pink marigold.
They are also finding ways to make more disease-resistant, longer-blooming varieties with bigger blooms.
Credit: Paul Vandevelder
Where to Plant French Marigolds
French marigolds grow in full sun and thrive in hot summers.
These annuals are cheerful additions togarden beds and bordersand are excellent container plants.
Start French marigolds from seed bystarting them indoorsfour to six weeks before the end of winter in seed-starting mix.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Cover them with a scant 1/4 inch of soil and moisten them.
They need a warm area of about 70F to 75F to germinate.
The seed can also be sown directly into a garden bed after all danger of frost has passed.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
The plant will live if planted anywhere other than full sun, but flower production is severely affected.
Soil and Water
French marigolds do best inwell-drained soilthat doesn’t stay wet for long periods.
For the best drainage, add compost to the soil.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Temperature and Humidity
Hot summer temperatures pose no problem for French marigolds.
They tolerate a wide humidity range.
If the summer is especially humid, they might develop powdery mildew.
Credit: Andy Lyons
They likely won’t need any more fertilizer than that.
Overfertilization results in increased foliage, not flowers.
Potting and Repotting French Marigolds
Small French marigolds are excellent selections for pots outside in the summer.
Credit: Julie Maris Semarco
Unless they are moved inside before the first frost, they will die along with any in-ground marigolds.
Plant them in acontainer with good drainageand lightweight potting mix.
Don’t crowd the plants; they need good air circulation.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
They also need at least six hours of sunlight daily, so place them in a south-facing window.
Repotting is usually not necessary.
Start them indoors six weeks before the end of winter inseed-starting mix.
Order seed or live plants from a nursery if you want identical plants.
Striped Marvel Marigold
Tagetes patula’Striped Marvel' offers bold burgundy-and-gold striped blossoms on mounded plants.
Yellow Gate Marigold
Tagetes patula’Yellow Gate' bears 3-inch-wide blooms atop rounded, 10- to 12-inch-tall plants.
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
French Marigold Companion Plants
Bidens
Bidens isa perfect container plant.
Some varieties are fragrant, so plant them where you might enjoy their sweet scent.
Bidens likes rich, well-drained but moist soil.
While it’s a perennial in Zones 8-10, it’s usually grown as an annual.
This succulent plant thrives in heat, drought, and lousy soil, rewarding gardeners with nonstop color.
There’s also a whole pastel color palette for moss rosecreamy white, pink, and peach varieties.
It often happily reseeds, coming back every year with gusto.
Zinnia
Want fast color for just pennies?Plant zinnias!
And it will happen in just weeks.
To attract the most, plant lots of tall, red or hot pink zinnias in a large patch.
‘Big Red’ is especially nice for this, and the flowers are outstanding and excellent for cutting.
Frequently Asked Questions
No.
As annuals, they die at the first frost.
However, these plants will not be exact duplicates of their hybrid parents.
African marigolds are taller and more upright than French marigolds and have much larger flowers.
French marigold plants are smaller, bushier, and have a longer blooming periodfrom spring until frost.
These quick-growing plants are self-seeding, so they’ll spread seeds in your garden.
To keep them from spreading, deadhead blooms before they start to go to seed.
