Illustration
Marigold
Tagetes
Marigold blooms from May through October.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Marigold
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 1 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).
Is 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 Marigold
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out 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 Marigold get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1 ftwideSee 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 Marigold
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Marigold about 1 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add 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
Marigold's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 13 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.
- NC State ExtensionTagetes, the genus entryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Illinois Extensionheight, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenTagetes erecta, African marigoldheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenTagetes patula, French marigoldheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenTagetes patula 'Strawberry Blonde'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Minnesota ExtensionMarigoldssun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- burpee.comBurpeebloom months and color and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterMarigold, the genus factsheetheight, sun and trait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreachwater and bloom months and color
- University of Illinois ExtensionMarigold, Tagetes sp.height, sun and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureWisconsin Horticulture, Division of Extension (Marigolds)hardiness zones, sun and water
- Missouri Botanical Gardensun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societytrait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 10 varieties across 3 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Every plant in the group blooms from May through October.
Compare every variety in the Marigolds group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African | Orange | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 24 in × 16 in |
| Bicolor | Red | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 12 in × 12 in |
| Cream | White | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 16 in × 12 in |
| French | Yellow | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 12 in × 12 in |
| Gold | Yellow | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 12 in × 12 in |
| Lemon Gem | Yellow | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 10 in × 12 in |
| Marigoldthis page | Orange | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 1 ft |
| Orange | Orange | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 12 in × 12 in |
| Red | Red | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 12 in × 12 in |
| Tangerine Gem | Orange | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 10 in × 12 in |
| Yellow | Yellow | May–Oct | Annual (replant yearly) | Full sun | 12 in × 12 in |
Good to know about Marigold
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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
Worth knowing
One chemistry explains three traits: the thiophenes (alpha-terthienyl) the roots exude to suppress nematodes also cause the skin irritation and the scent that deters deer. per NC State and University of Florida
Is marigold toxic?
Pot marigold is Calendula; Tagetes marigold is listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Pet Poison Helpline (mild irritation if eaten); marsh marigold (Caltha) is toxic if eaten. per Pet Poison Helpline and NC State
Fights root-knot nematodes in soil
French marigold (T. patula), grown as a dense solid stand for a full season before the crop, suppresses root-knot nematodes; a few tucked among vegetables does not. per University of Florida and Journal of Nematology
Single flowers feed pollinators
Open single and signet marigolds give bees and butterflies real nectar; dense fully-double pompoms convert stamens to petals and bury the nectar, so pollinators reach little. per NC State and Xerces
Three garden marigold types
French (T. patula) is small and bushy; African or American (T. erecta) is tall with big double pompoms; signet (T. tenuifolia) is mounded with many tiny single flowers. per NC State and University of Florida
Spider mites and gray mold
Spider mites are the top pest in hot, dry weather (stippled, yellowing leaves and fine webbing); Botrytis gray mold rots the blooms in cool, wet, humid spells. per Clemson and NC State
What pairs well with Marigold
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Yaupon Holly
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Chinese Fringe Flower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Texas Mountain Laurel
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Swamp Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into late fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage.
Stiff Goldenrod
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Ironweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; both offer pollinator forage; taller at 5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Carolina Jessamine
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 15 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; opens in early spring and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage.
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