Illustration
Cream Marigold
Tagetes erecta 'Vanilla'
Cream Marigold blooms from May through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Cream Marigold
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. Expect it to reach about 16 in tall and 12 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).
Is Cream 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 Cream Marigold
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Cream 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 Cream Marigold get?
16 intall5 ft 7 inan adult12 inwideSee Cream 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 Cream Marigold
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Cream Marigold about 12 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Cream 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
Cream Marigold's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 7 published sources on October 27, 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.
- Chicago Botanic Gardenheight, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- friendsschoolplantsale.comFriends School Plant Saleheight, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreachheight, spread, bloom months and color and trait tags
- info.ballseed.comBall Seed / PanAmerican Seedwater and bloom months and color
- NC State Extensionsun, water and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardensun and water
- ndsu.eduNorth Dakota State Universityheight and spread
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Cream 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.