French Marigold (Tagetes patula)

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 away until frost. French marigolds typically come in warm shades of oranges, yellows, and reds. Some varieties have a single row of petals, while others have pom-pom-like, petal-packed double blooms. Plus, it seems like there is a new marigold shade or petal type introduced each year.

I. Appearance and Characteristics

Tagetes patula, the French marigold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mexico and Guatemala with several naturalised populations in many other countries. It is widely cultivated as an easily grown bedding plant, with thousands of different cultivars in brilliant shades of yellow and orange.

Some authorities regard Tagetes patula as a synonym of Tagetes erecta, the Mexican marigold.

The Latin specific epithet patula means “with a spreading habit”.

Tagetes patula is an annual, occasionally reaching 0.5 m (1.6 ft) tall by 0.3 m (1.0 ft) wide. In some climates it flowers from July to October. In its native habitat of the highlands of central Mexico, blooms are produced from September to killing frost. Achenes ripen and are shed within two weeks of the start of bloom. The heads contain mostly hermaphrodite (having both male and female organs) florets and are pollinated primarily by beetles in the wild, as well as by tachinid flies and other insects. The leaves of all species of marigold include oil glands. The oils are pungent. It can grow in both sandy and clay soils provided they have good drainage. It requires full sun to partial shade.

French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
Tagetes patula nana Hybr Carmen BotGardBln0906b CC BY-SA 3.0

This plant is valued for its velvet-textured, brightly coloured blooms in shades of yellow, orange and brown in summer. It is shorter, and has a more spreading habit, than its relative the Mexican marigold (Tagetes erecta). It is therefore more suitable as an edging plant in the open border.

II. How to Grow and Care

Sunlight

French marigolds perform best in full sun, which is necessary for the plant to form large, dense blooms and lush foliage. If they are planted anywhere other than full sun, the plant will live, but flower production is severely affected.

Temperature and Humidity

Hot summer temperatures pose no problem for French marigolds. The optimum flower production occurs when the temperature is in the 68°F to 75°F range, but the plant continues to bloom outside this range, just not as profusely. They tolerate a wide humidity range. If the summer is especially humid, they might develop powdery mildew.

Soil and Water

French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
Tagetes patula (4) Rasbak CC BY-SA 3.0

French marigolds do best in well-drained soil that doesn’t stay wet for long periods. Add compost to the soil for the best drainage.

Fertilizing

Unless the garden soil is rich or can be amended before planting, dig in a slow-release granular fertilizer to support the plants. They likely won’t need any more fertilizer than that. Overfertilization results in increased foliage, not flowers.

If you feel your plants need a boost mid-season, apply a liquid plant fertilizer that is low in nitrogen, following the product instructions.

Planting Instructions

French marigolds can be purchased as nursery plants or grown from seed.

Set out nursery plants early in the spring after the last frost in a location that receives full sun and has well-draining soil. French marigold plants should be planted somewhat deeper than they are in their nursery containers and spaced 9 to 18 inches apart, depending on variety.

Start French marigolds from seed by starting them indoors four to six weeks before the end of winter in seed-starting mix. Cover them with a scant 1/4 inch of soil and moisten them. They need a warm area of about 70°F to 75°F to germinate. After they are sown, seedlings pop up in a week or two. Transplant them into the garden after the last frost. The seed can also be sown directly into a garden bed after all danger of frost has passed.

Pruning

Annual marigolds don’t need pruning, but as a marigold’s flowers fade, pick them off to focus the plant’s energy on making more flowers rather than making seeds.

Propagation

French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
Tagetes patula – Тагетес Ivo Angelov CC BY 2.0

At the end of the year, if you want to collect seeds for the following spring, leave a few spent blooms on the plants and allow them to fully ripen and dry. Start them indoors six weeks before the end of winter in seed-starting mix. Note that harvested seeds produce plants that are genetically different from the hybrid parents, so there may be some variability in flower color and overall plant growth.

If you want identical plants, order seed or live plants from a nursery.

Potting and Repotting

Small French marigolds are excellent selections for pots that remain outside in the summer. Unless they are moved inside before the first frost, they will die along with any in-ground marigolds. Plant them in a container with good drainage and lightweight potting mix. A 6-inch pot is big enough for one French marigold, or two or three plants can fit in a 12-inch pot. Don’t crowd the plants; they need good air circulation. They also need at least six hours of sunlight daily, so place them in a south-facing window. Repotting is usually not necessary.

Pests and Diseases

When French marigolds are planted in part shade, they are likely to get fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew. Marigolds are also prone to spider mites in the dry heat of the summer, so watch for fine webbing and treat with insecticidal soap as needed.

III. Uses and Benefits

  • Ornamental uses

French marigolds work well in containers, raised beds, or the ground. They can be used in ornamental beds, borders, or in vegetable gardens to help deter pests.

It’s hard to go wrong with these plants in the garden. I’ve seen evenly-spaced, well-ordered lines of marigolds that look just as fantastic as random, natural mounds of them interspersed throughout the garden.

French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
Tagetes patula (2) Prenn CC BY-SA 3.0

The one constant here is that they look best in groups – a single plant seldom looks as fabulous as a big old bunch of them.

In addition to adding vibrant color, they also attract bees and butterflies.

  • Medicinal uses

Medicinally, many cultures use infusions from dried leaves or florets. Research also suggests that T. patula essential oil has the ability to be used as residual pesticide against bed bugs.

The essential oil is being investigated for antifungal activity, including treatment of candidiasis and treating fungal infections in plants.

  • Culinary uses

The dried and ground flower petals constitute a popular spice in the Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus, where they are known as imeruli shaphrani (= ‘Imeretian Saffron’) from their pungency and golden colour and particular popularity in the Western province of Imereti. The spice imparts a unique, rather earthy flavour to Georgian cuisine, in which it is considered especially compatible with the flavours of cinnamon and cloves. It is also an essential ingredient in the spice mixture khmeli suneli, which is to Georgian cookery what garam masala is to the cookery of North India – with which Georgia shares elements of the Mughlai cuisine.

  • Other uses

Colouring

Tagetes patula florets are grown and harvested annually to add to poultry feed to help give the yolks a golden color. The florets can also be used to color human foods. A golden yellow dye is used to color animal-based textiles (wool, silk) without a mordant, but a mordant is needed for cotton and synthetic textiles.

Fragrance

The whole plant is harvested when in flower and distilled for its essential oil. The oil is used in perfumery. It is blended with sandalwood oil to produce ‘attar genda’ perfume. About 35 kg (77 lb) of oil can be extracted from 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of the plant yielding 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of flowers and 25,000 kg (55,000 lb) of herbage.

IV. Harvesting and Storage

French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
French Marigold — Tagetes patula Surely Shirly CC0 1.0

French marigold can be used as cut flowers and starts blooming in early summer. They have a long blooming period and reach full bloom in midsummer. The bloom period can last through autumn with proper care. In the case of premature harvest, the picked flowers do not easily bloom. As a result, it’s best to harvest them 1-2 days before blooming, when there are 4-6 petals on a flower bud gradually opening up.

Pick flowers at times with low temperature and high humidity.Generally, morning is the best time to harvest, as plants harvested then more easily retain water and can have a long vase life. After harvest, french marigold should be inserted in water with a preservative solution of low pH value. This will prolong the bloom time. Take time to remove the excess leaves on the stem, and avoid inserting leaves in the water since they can easily rot.

Find Where to Buy the Best French Marigold (Tagetes patula)

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Happygreenshop.com
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Waitrosegarden.com
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Chilternseeds.co.uk
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Southernseeds.com
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Puurvantveld.eu
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