African marigold
Tagetes erecta
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones2 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size6 to 12 inches tall6 to 9 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Clumping
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Yellow, orange, red and bicolor
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
African marigold (Tagetes erecta) is an annual for borders, containers, cut flowers, and annual beds. It is not cold-hardy and will not survive freezing temperatures. This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It forms a clumping mound with yellow, orange, red, or bicolor blooms. The flowers are fragrant and draw butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. Deer tend to pass it by. Plants handle dry spells well.
Pairs well with Mealycup sage, Cornflower, Cosmos, and Creeping thyme.
Native range
Mexico and Guatemala.