Illustration
African Marigold
Tagetes erecta
African Marigold blooms from May through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing African Marigold
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. Expect it to reach about 24 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).
Is African Marigold toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Pet Poison Helpline.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant African Marigold
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out African Marigold into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from May to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does African Marigold get?
24 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee African Marigold in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant African Marigold
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space African Marigold about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add African Marigold to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
African Marigold's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 10 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreachheight, bloom months and color and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, bloom months and color and trait tags
- extension.colostate.eduColorado State University Extensionbloom months and color and trait tags
- monticelloshop.orgMonticello Shop / Thomas Jefferson Foundationheight, hardiness zones and sun
- queensbotanical.orgQueens Botanical Gardenbloom months and color
- University of Illinois ExtensionIllinois Extensionheight and trait tags
- University of Minnesota Extensionheight
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Extensionheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about African Marigold
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
True marigold's sap can cause phototoxic skin irritation: cell sap plus sunlight can redden, burn or blister sensitive skin (thiophene compounds). Wear gloves if your skin reacts. per NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.