Planting & caring for Marigolds
The quickest & easiest summer flowers in special colours!
While marigolds (calendula) were once only available in the typical orange colour, the range of varieties has now grown incredibly! Rosé, apricot and peach shades are no longer a rarity, and marigolds have therefore become a firm favourite in our range. What’s more, there is hardly a plant that is easier to sow. If you don’t want to pre-grow plants, simply put a few seeds in a pot of good soil and they will be in full bloom just two months later. This makes marigolds one of the fastest summer flowers of all!
The most important facts in brief
- cool flower (cold germinator)
- annual cut flower
- direct sowing in autumn or early spring
- extension of the flowering period through subsequent sowing
- sunny location
- clayey & not too moist soil
- regular pruning stimulates bud formation
- suitable for beds, containers and pots
- insect pasture
Sowing marigolds
Marigolds belong to the so-called cool flowers, the hardy annuals. They are absolutely insensitive to cold and frost and can be sown outside either in autumn or early spring.
A second option is to pre-grow the marigolds indoors between February and April and plant them as seedlings in the bed. To speed up germination, you can put the seeds in the fridge a week before sowing. Cool flowers need a cold stimulus to germinate more quickly.
Marigolds are very germinative. At a germination temperature of 12-18 °C, they only need 3-10 days to germinate.
For an endless abundance of flowers until autumn, you can plan two more subsequent sowings: one with the cold-sensitive annuals (from 15 May) and one in early summer (sowing at the end of April/planting out in June).
It takes around 60 days from sowing to flowering. Marigolds are therefore real fast starters!
Location & Soil
The following applies to marigolds: the sunnier the location, the more abundant the flowering. So give them a location where they can enjoy plenty of sunshine every day. Marigolds feel most at home in a loamy, not too moist soil.
Caring for marigolds
Marigolds are exceptionally easy to care for and require little attention once they have found their place in the garden or on the patio. However, a little compost and fertiliser are always a good idea. In this way, the nutrient requirements are covered for the whole year. Only moderate watering is necessary. Waterlogging should be avoided at all costs. To stimulate flower formation, wilted flowers should be removed regularly.
Cutting marigolds for the vase
Marigolds are ideal for the vase. It is best to harvest them when the flowers are about three quarters open. They will keep in the vase for 6 to 8 days.
