African Marigold
Tagetes erecta
Also called: American Marigold, Aztec Marigold
African Marigold. Tagetes erecta, the African or Aztec marigold, is an annual native to Mexico despite its misleading common name. Cultivated by the Aztecs for centuries and central to Día de los Muertos celebrations, modern garden varieties range from 8-inch dwarfs to 3-foot giants in shades of yellow, gold, and orange. Strong pungent foliage repels some garden pests and the flowers feed pollinators all summer.
Growing & care
- Sun: full sun, minimum 6 hours. Shade reduces flowering and increases disease pressure.
- Water: average; water at soil level to keep foliage dry.
- Soil: any well-drained garden soil. Tolerates poor ground and reflected heat.
- Hardiness: annual across USDA zones 2–11. Sow seed indoors 6 weeks before last frost, or direct-sow once soil warms.
- Spacing: 12–18 inches for dwarf cultivars, 18–24 inches for tall types.
- Deadhead: removing spent flowers keeps the show going until hard frost.
Propagation
Direct-sow seed ¼ inch deep after the last frost, or start indoors 6 weeks earlier and transplant after acclimation. Germination is fast (5–7 days) and seedlings are vigorous. Save seed from mature heads by drying them upside-down in a paper bag; open-pollinated varieties come true while F1 hybrids do not.
Common problems
Wet humid weather brings powdery mildew and botrytis; airflow is the main defense. Spider mites flourish in hot, dry conditions and can devastate plants in days — wash off with a strong hose spray and apply insecticidal soap if persistent. The often-repeated claim that marigolds repel nematodes is true for T. patula (French marigold) and largely false for T. erecta. African marigolds may cause mild stomach upset in dogs and cats if eaten in quantity; sap can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive humans.
African Marigold — seeds, tools & books
Native range
Native range not recorded for this plant. Often a non-native cultivar or naturalized garden plant.
