How to Grow and Care for Marigold

The Marigold is a classic flower. Their beautiful yellow and orange blooms make them a cheerful addition to your garden. Their flowers sometimes look almost like daisies or carnations and they are stunning. They bloom impressive flowers each year. Aside from bringing a pop of beauty and color to your garden, they are easy to care for. These low maintenance flowers are a nice addition to the yards of new and experienced gardeners alike.

Marigolds are the perfect flower that is easy to care for. There are many different varieties that grow showy blooms. They are able to grow and thrive in most environments. Placing your new flower in the perfect spot is key to keeping them happy. They like a lot of sun as they are native to Mexico. They are not particular when it comes to soil and will accept any type. These beautiful flowers are drought tolerant and do not need much attention when it comes to watering. You can’t go wrong adding these to your garden.

These easy going and fun flowers will be a dreamy addition to your garden. Not just because of their beauty, but because you won’t need to do much work. If you are ready to add a beautiful and easy to maintain flower, follow this guide. You will be on your way to having healthy and happy marigolds.

About the Marigold

Marigolds are gorgeous flowers native to Mexico. They bloom in a range of colors but are often yellow, orange, red, white, gold, or bicolor. They grow around 4-36 inches tall and 6-18 inches wide. They bloom annually in all zones, which makes them an option for gardeners anywhere. These flowers are adaptable to most areas and climates.

Another great thing about marigold flowers is they are repellents for a lot of bugs. If you are looking to rid your garden of mosquitoes, plant some marigolds. While they keep pesky bugs out of your garden, they also attract happy pollinators. Honey bees love to visit and pollinate your new blooms.

How to Grow Marigolds

The fun thing about marigold flowers is they grow easy from seeds. Take pride growing your new flower from seeds or buy a plant from a nursery or garden center. Marigolds have large seeds. If you’d like, start the seeds indoors before planting them in your garden. They germinate fast once they are in the ground, but you will not see blooms until the warm months of summer. Starting the seeds indoors can speed up the process.
When planting your new flower, wait until the summer months. They like warm and dry conditions but can thrive anywhere. As long as the winters in your area stay above 40 degrees fahrenheit, you will have happy flowers. When sowing your seeds, make sure any frost conditions have passed. If you are unsure of upcoming frosts, sow your seeds indoors.
When it’s time to place your seeds in the soil outside, here are some pointers. Dig a nice, big hole free from rocks. Add a small amount of fertilizer to your hole. Dampen the soil and sow your seeds.

Propagating Marigolds

You can propagate marigolds from cuttings. Flowers grown by cuttings from established plants grow better than seedlings. It is a faster process, too. To propagate your marigold from cuttings, take the cut from July through September. You want to cut a green leaf curl. Avoid cutting at the stems. Once you have your cutting, you’ll want to root it in water. Place water in a cup or beaker and place your cutting inside. Change the water every 48 hours. Once your propagation has roots, you can transport it and plant it in your garden outside.

You can also propagate your marigold by harvesting seeds from your established plants. Once you have the seeds, plant them as you would a purchased seedling. You may also propagate the flower in dirt or sand, but growing roots in water seems to be the quickest method.

Varieties of Marigold Flowers

Marigold flowers vary depending on where they originate. The African marigolds have large flowers that look almost like pom poms. This variation can grow over 2 feet tall. They make great border pieces for your yard. The French marigolds also have large and luscious blooms. These flowers can grow from 5-18 inches tall. Their stems have a purple color. Also, the signet marigolds have small, almost daisy-like flowers. These plants are edible even if they don’t look like it.

There are several types of marigold flowers, and some of them look very similar to Mexican Tarragon. The Antigua series are African marigolds that see large blooms. The gem series of marigolds grow single flowers and have fern-like foliage. The gem series are the edible flowers. They apparently have the best taste to them. Then there is the naughty Marrietta which grows a yellow flower with a burgundy center.

Caring for the Marigold Flower

Watering and Pruning

When you first place your new flower into the soil, you need to give it a generous amount of water. These flowers become drought tolerant, but will need attention when first planted. If you are sowing seeds, be sure to water the plant gently. You want to be sure the soil is not dry, but also not over-watered. Your flower’s soil needs to dry out well between waterings. Keep in mind the importance of watering your flower at its base. Once your new plant has established a strong root system, it will become drought tolerant. Yet, they produce the best blooms if you water them weekly.

These plants do not require much maintenance. You don’t need to fuss over them when it comes to pruning. But, these plants do bloom best when they are deadheaded often. Your plant will produce blooms non stop when regularly deadheaded. Other than that, you will not spend much time fussing over your marigold plant.

Fertilizing

While sowing your marigold seeds, place a small amount of fertilizer into the hole with them. After initial sowing, your plant will not need extra nutrients very often. If you are struggling with less than ideal soil conditions, you may want to use fertilizer.

The Best Soil for Your Marigold

Your beautiful new flower will not be picky at all when it comes to what soil they are planted in. They are happy in almost about any type of soil. If you have a good gardening soil available to you, that should do the trick for your flower. The soil pH should be at a 6.0 and doesn’t need much organic matter. While these are recommended conditions, your plant will not fuss if it is not perfect. If you notice your plant seems to be lacking nutrients from the soil, add some fertilizer or compost.

The Perfect Light

This beautiful flower will appreciate a nice, sunny spot in your garden. If you are looking to grow the most flowers possible, make sure you pick a spot in your garden that sees full sun. This means at least 6 hours a day. You can tell if they are not getting the light they need when they stop blooming as often.

The Ideal Environment for Your Flower

These true annual blooms will thrive in any zone, believe it or not! They do like a warmer climate, but as long as you do not experience intense winters, they will be happy in your garden. If you are looking to grow marigolds but concerned your weather may be too cool for them there is an option. Plant them in containers so you can move the containers indoors when harsh weather hits.

Pests and Disease Risks

Aside from being beautiful and easy to maintain, these plants have another winning quality. They are pretty much a repellant for every kind of unwanted critter that could visit your garden. They keep everything from mosquitos, beetles, and deer from your yard. Does it get any better than that?
The only disease risk to these plants is powdery mildew. This can occur if you live in an area with damp and humid summers. Powdery mildew can also occur if your plant has too much water. You can avoid this by placing your flower in an area of your garden with good airflow. Also avoid overwatering it.

Takeaways

These flowers are beautiful and easy to care for. They will bloom bright blossoms year after year with the proper environment. Placing them in the perfect sunny spot in your garden will keep them happy. They are not picky when it comes to soil. As long as it has a good amount of organic matter, your marigold will be fine. It is also drought tolerant as long as you give it a hearty watering when first placed in your garden. It works as a repellent for most pests and diseases are easily prevented.

If you think this plant sounds like a dream, share this article on social media to spread the word! Make sure you send this guide to your marigold loving friends!