Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) are known to produce cheerful, abundant, multiple blossoms on upright plants with bright green pungent foliage. Seeds evolve in tight clusters just below the flowers and, if not harvested, fall off and often produce new plants the following year. Even at the height of summer, they bloom profusely, and come in a wide variety of flower types and sizes. A traditional companion plant, marigolds are prized for their ability to rid soil of harmful nematodes and drive away insects, while adding a distinctive beauty wherever they grow.
Marigolds are roughly divided into four categories: French marigolds (Tagetes patula), low growing, long lasting flowers that grow to a height of about 1 foot; African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), large-bloomed, tall flowers that reach heights of up to 3 feet; triploid marigolds (Tagetes erecta x Tagetes patula), sterile hybrids derived from African and French marigolds; and signet marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia), marigolds that have single, daisylike flowers.
Common garden marigolds are annuals, but because they self-sow, sometimes they are mistakenly identified as perennials. Even in regions with mild winters free of frost, marigolds grow as annuals, with bloom development fading in fall. Of the perennial marigolds, you’re only likely to find three species available.
Of the many species of marigolds, only two are usually grown in gardens: African marigolds (Tagetes erecta) and French marigolds (Tagetes patula). These marigolds and their cultivars, like the African “Aurora” and the French “Bonanza” are annuals, blooming from early summer until the first frost.
Mexican tarragon (Tagetes lucida), Lemmon’s marigold (Tagetes lemmonii) and mountain marigold (Tagetes palmeri) are the three species of perennial marigolds.
Marigolds are frequently implemented in vegetable gardens and ornamental plantings for an ability to repel problematic insects and other types of pests. Some French and African marigolds are cultivated in rows between crops or densely planted as cover crops because their roots contain a substance toxic to certain nematodes, root-damaging roundworms especially problematic in sandy soils.
Marigolds may also repel cabbage moths and French marigolds are able to protect adjacent tomato plants from whiteflies. Mexican marigolds (Tagetes minuta) are so potent that they may repel rabbits and the Mexican bean beetle as well as persistent weeds like bind weed. However, its potency makes it unsuitable for growing near some desirable plants like cabbage and beans.
Different Types of Marigold Plants
African Marigold (Tagetes erecta)
The African marigold is the tallest and most stately of all marigold species, capable of reaching three to four feet in height with large, fully double pompom-like flower heads that can measure up to five inches across.
Despite its common name, it is native to Mexico and Central America, not Africa — the misnomer arose from its introduction to Europe via North Africa. Its flowers come in shades of deep gold, bright orange, and creamy yellow, and it is widely used in cut flower arrangements, religious ceremonies, and as a companion plant in vegetable gardens for its pest-deterring properties.
French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
The French marigold is one of the most popular and widely grown annual flowers in the world, prized for its compact, bushy habit and prolific blooming from spring through the first frost. Growing just six to twelve inches tall, it produces a seemingly endless supply of small to medium-sized flowers in rich shades of yellow, orange, mahogany red, and bicolored combinations.
Like its name, it was introduced to Western European gardens via France, though it too originates from Mexico. It is especially valued in vegetable gardens for its ability to repel nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies from the soil and surrounding plants.
Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia)
The signet marigold is a dainty, fine-textured species with lacy, fernlike foliage that is highly aromatic when brushed or crushed, releasing a lemony, citrusy scent quite different from the typical pungent marigold smell. It produces masses of tiny, single daisy-like flowers in yellow, orange, or tangerine shades that completely cover the mounded, compact plant throughout the growing season.
Uniquely among marigolds, the petals of signet marigolds are edible and are used to garnish salads, desserts, and drinks with a mildly spicy, citrusy flavor. They are excellent border plants and thrive in both garden beds and containers.
Triploid Marigold (Tagetes × hybrida)
Triploid marigolds are sterile hybrids created by crossing African and French marigolds, resulting in plants that cannot produce viable seeds and therefore pour all their energy into continuous, non-stop flowering throughout the season. They combine the large flower size of African marigolds with the compact, bushy habit of French marigolds, making them some of the most floriferous and garden-worthy marigolds available.
Because they do not set seed, they never go to seed and decline mid-season the way other marigolds can, maintaining a tidy, full appearance from planting to frost. They are somewhat more challenging to propagate and are typically grown from commercially produced transplants.
Mexican Marigold (Tagetes lucida)
Also known as Mexican tarragon or sweet-scented marigold, this species is quite different from typical garden marigolds in both form and function. It is a perennial in frost-free climates, growing into a neat, upright shrub with narrow, glossy, anise-scented leaves that are used as a culinary herb in Mexican cooking as a substitute for French tarragon.
Its small golden-yellow flower clusters appear in late summer and fall, and the plant has a long history of sacred and medicinal use in Aztec culture, including as an incense and in ritual offerings to the dead during Día de los Muertos.
Inca Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Inca’)
The Inca series is one of the most popular and widely planted lines of tall African marigolds, prized for its exceptional heat tolerance, early blooming, and large, densely double flower heads in brilliant shades of yellow, gold, and orange.
Plants grow to about twelve to fourteen inches tall — slightly more compact than traditional African marigolds — making them more wind-resistant and suitable for exposed garden positions. The Inca series was developed specifically for performance in hot, humid summer climates and is a reliable choice for gardeners in the South and in tropical regions.
Antigua Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Antigua’)
The Antigua series produces some of the largest flower heads of any compact African marigold, with blooms measuring up to four inches across on plants that stay relatively low at ten to twelve inches tall.
The series is noted for exceptionally strong, sturdy stems that hold the big blooms upright without flopping, and for its ability to maintain flowering during periods of intense heat and humidity. Flowers come in deep gold, bright orange, and soft primrose yellow, and the series has won multiple All-America Selections awards for its outstanding garden performance.
Crackerjack Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Crackerjack’)
The Crackerjack series represents the classic tall African marigold at its most spectacular, producing large, fully double flower heads in an old-fashioned mix of deep orange, golden yellow, and cream on robust plants that grow two to three feet tall.
It is a traditional heirloom-style marigold with a long history in American cottage gardens and is one of the best varieties for cutting due to its long stems. The Crackerjack mix is often grown in cutting gardens alongside zinnias and sunflowers to provide bold late-summer color for both the garden and the vase.
Vanilla Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Vanilla’)
Vanilla is a standout African marigold variety that produces large, creamy ivory-white flower heads — a color so unusual among marigolds that it earned an All-America Selections award upon its introduction.
The soft, neutral tones of the Vanilla marigold make it exceptionally versatile in garden design, pairing beautifully with pastel plantings or providing a cooling counterpoint to hot-colored schemes. Plants grow to about fourteen to eighteen inches tall and bloom prolifically throughout the warm season, making Vanilla one of the most distinctive and sought-after novelty marigolds available to home gardeners.
Taishan Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Taishan’)
The Taishan series is a highly uniform, early-flowering line of African marigolds bred specifically for the bedding plant trade, offering consistent plant height, synchronized flowering, and superior heat tolerance across a range of bright yellow, orange, and gold shades.
Plants are compact at ten to twelve inches, making them ideal for mass plantings in landscapes and public parks where uniformity of appearance is essential. The Taishan series is especially popular in commercial horticulture and is among the earliest-blooming African marigolds available, providing color weeks ahead of many competing varieties.
Doodle Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Doodle’)
The Doodle series is a charming line of French marigolds that produces crested, anemone-centered flowers with an outer ring of flat petals surrounding a raised, tufted center — a flower form that gives each bloom a distinctive and whimsical appearance.
Colors range from bright yellow to deep orange and mahogany bicolors, and the compact plants bloom reliably from spring through fall in beds, borders, and containers. The crested flower form makes the Doodle series particularly ornamental and eye-catching even from a distance, adding a cottage garden character that sets it apart from typical French marigolds.
Hero Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Hero’)
The Hero series is one of the most widely grown French marigold series in the commercial bedding plant industry, valued for its uniform, compact habit, early flowering, and outstanding heat tolerance.
Plants grow to about ten inches tall and produce fully double, rounded flower heads in a broad color palette that includes yellow, orange, gold, flame bicolors, and deep mahogany red. The Hero series was bred to perform well across a wide range of climate conditions and is particularly dependable in hot, humid summers where other French marigolds may become leggy or pause in blooming.
Bonanza Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Bonanza’)
The Bonanza series is a classic French marigold line celebrated for its large, fully double flower heads — unusually big for a French marigold — held on compact, uniform plants reaching about ten inches in height.
Colors span the warm marigold spectrum from rich deep gold to burnt orange, scarlet red, and striking bicolor flame combinations. The Bonanza series is especially prized for its weather resistance, maintaining tidy, attractive plants even during wet conditions that cause other French marigolds to become ragged or disease-prone.
Safari Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Safari’)
The Safari series is renowned for producing some of the largest flower heads of any French marigold variety, with blooms that rival small African marigolds in size. Plants are compact and well-branched, growing ten to twelve inches tall, and they produce a continuous succession of bold, fully double flowers throughout the season.
The Safari series includes an impressive range of colors and bicolors, from clear yellow and vivid tangerine to deep orange, red, and striking yellow-and-red bicolored flames, making it one of the most colorful and versatile French marigold series available.
Boy Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Boy’)
The Boy series is a classic, traditional French marigold line noted for its extremely early, free-flowering habit and cheerful, anemone-centered blooms with a raised, crested center surrounded by flat guard petals.
Plants are dwarf and tidy, rarely exceeding eight inches in height, making them ideal for the front of borders and for edging along paths and walkways. The Boy series includes both single-color and bicolor options and has been a staple of cottage gardens and bedding schemes for decades, valued for its reliability and old-fashioned charm.
Disco Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Disco’)
The Disco series is a single-flowered French marigold with open, daisy-like blooms that display a simple, elegant simplicity quite different from the fluffy pompoms of double-flowered varieties. Each flower has a single ring of broad, flat petals in shades of yellow, orange, red, and bicolors surrounding a small, prominent central disk.
The single-flower form makes the Disco series particularly attractive to bees and other pollinators, as the pollen and nectar are easily accessible, and it is often recommended by wildlife gardeners as the most ecologically beneficial marigold for supporting native insects.
Aurora Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Aurora’)
The Aurora series is a vigorous, tall-growing African marigold producing large, fully double flower heads in rich shades of yellow, orange, and gold on plants that grow eighteen to twenty-four inches tall. It is an excellent cutting marigold, with long, strong stems that hold the big blooms well above the foliage.
The Aurora series blooms somewhat later in the season than many other African marigold series, making it particularly valuable for extending marigold color into late summer and early fall when other varieties may be winding down.
Zenith Series Triploid Marigold (Tagetes × hybrida ‘Zenith’)
The Zenith series is one of the most celebrated triploid marigold lines, offering the best characteristics of both African and French marigolds in a compact, free-blooming, sterile hybrid.
Plants grow to about fourteen inches tall and produce large, fully double flower heads that bloom continuously without the mid-season pause that can affect seed-producing varieties. The Zenith series is available in yellow, orange, red, and lemon shades, and its non-stop flowering habit makes it a top choice for public parks, commercial landscapes, and high-visibility garden settings where consistent, season-long color is essential.
Janie Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Janie’)
The Janie series is a dwarf French marigold line prized for extremely early flowering — among the earliest of all French marigold varieties — making it ideal for gardeners who want marigold color as soon as possible after planting. Plants stay very compact at just eight inches tall and produce fully double, crested flower heads in yellow, orange, tangerine, and flame bicolors. The early bloom time and compact habit of the Janie series make it a top choice for spring bedding displays, window boxes, and container plantings where early season impact is most important.
Perfection Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Perfection’)
The Perfection series lives up to its name with impeccably uniform, fully double flower heads produced on compact, well-branched African marigold plants reaching about twelve inches.
Each bloom is a dense, tightly packed globe of petals with no visible center, giving the flowers a refined, formal appearance highly prized in structured garden designs. The series performs exceptionally well in both hot and cool weather, maintaining clean foliage and continuous flowering from summer through fall, and is available in a range of classic marigold colors from pale yellow to deep orange.
Strawberry Blonde French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Strawberry Blonde’)
Strawberry Blonde is one of the most unusual and talked-about French marigold varieties, producing bicolored flowers that open in a warm peachy-pink and transition through shades of rose, coral, and cream as they age, creating a multi-toned effect within a single plant.
This unique color range is unlike anything else in the marigold world and earned it significant attention when it was introduced. Plants are compact at about ten inches and bloom prolifically, making Strawberry Blonde as garden-worthy as it is visually distinctive.
Red Cherry French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Red Cherry’)
Red Cherry is a boldly colored French marigold variety producing fully double, velvety deep scarlet-red flower heads with just a hint of gold at the petal margins.
The rich, saturated red color is among the deepest and most intense available in French marigolds and creates a striking visual impact in garden beds, particularly when planted en masse. Plants are compact and bushy at about ten to twelve inches, and their dark foliage provides a beautiful backdrop that makes the red flowers appear even more luminous and vibrant.
Lemon Gem Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia ‘Lemon Gem’)
Lemon Gem is one of the most popular signet marigold varieties, producing a profusion of tiny, bright lemon-yellow single flowers against a backdrop of delicate, ferny foliage with a fresh citrusy fragrance. The plant forms a neat mound about twelve inches tall and wide that completely covers itself in cheerful blooms all season long with virtually no deadheading required. Its edible flowers and appealing flavor make Lemon Gem a favorite among culinary gardeners, and its soft yellow color pairs beautifully with almost every other flower and foliage color in the garden.
Tangerine Gem Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia ‘Tangerine Gem’)
Tangerine Gem is a signet marigold variety producing masses of small, vivid orange single flowers with a fresh citrus-tangerine fragrance from the lacy, finely divided foliage. Like other signet marigolds, it forms a compact, self-cleaning mound that requires minimal care and blooms continuously from late spring through fall.
The vibrant tangerine-orange flowers are edible and are particularly popular as a garnish for salads and desserts, where they add both color and a mildly spicy citrus flavor. It is also highly attractive to beneficial insects including hoverflies and small native bees.
Red Gem Signet Marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia ‘Red Gem’)
Red Gem is the most intensely colored of the signet marigold varieties, producing tiny, deep brick-red to scarlet single flowers with a subtle gold center against the characteristically feathery, aromatic foliage.
The rich red coloring is unusual and striking in a species more commonly associated with yellows and oranges, making Red Gem a sought-after specialty variety among marigold collectors and edible flower enthusiasts. It shares the same compact, mounding habit and continuous, self-cleaning blooming nature of its Gem series relatives and is equally useful as both an ornamental and culinary plant.
Gold Coin African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Gold Coin’)
Gold Coin is a classic heirloom-style African marigold producing very large, fully double flower heads in deep, rich golden yellow on tall, robust plants growing two to three feet in height. It is a traditional cutting garden variety with long, sturdy stems that make it one of the best African marigolds for fresh flower arrangements.
The large, round blooms have a dense, full appearance reminiscent of old-fashioned pompom dahlias, and their deep golden color has made Gold Coin a beloved staple of cottage gardens, kitchen gardens, and cutting gardens for generations.
Orange Hawaii African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Orange Hawaii’)
Orange Hawaii is a vigorous, tall African marigold variety producing enormous, fully double flower heads in brilliant, saturated deep orange, among the most vivid and eye-catching colors available in tall marigolds.
Plants grow two to three feet tall with strong, upright stems well suited for cutting, and the massive blooms — sometimes reaching five inches across — create a bold, tropical impact in the summer garden. Orange Hawaii is a popular variety for both ornamental gardening and for the production of marigold petals used in natural dye production and in decorative garlands and offerings.
Kilimanjaro White African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Kilimanjaro White’)
Kilimanjaro White is a landmark African marigold variety that produces clean, creamy white fully double flower heads — one of the truest whites available in the species — on compact, sturdy plants growing about twelve to fourteen inches tall.
The pure white blooms stand out dramatically in the garden and are highly versatile in design, working equally well in formal white garden schemes, moon gardens for evening viewing, and mixed plantings where the neutral color provides visual relief from bold warm tones. It was a groundbreaking introduction when first released and remains one of the most distinctive marigold varieties in cultivation.
Durango Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Durango’)
The Durango series is a highly popular French marigold line offering an exceptionally wide color range — one of the broadest of any French marigold series — including yellow, orange, gold, red, tangerine, and multiple bicolor combinations.
Plants are compact and uniform at about ten to twelve inches, and they produce large, fully double flower heads on well-branched, heat-tolerant plants that perform reliably throughout the entire warm season. The Durango series has earned multiple horticultural awards for its outstanding garden performance, wide color range, and consistent reliability across different climate conditions.
Jubilee Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Jubilee’)
The Jubilee series is a robust tall African marigold line producing very large, double flower heads on strong, upright plants growing twenty to twenty-four inches. It is bred specifically for cut flower production as well as ornamental garden use, with extra-long stems and durable, long-lasting blooms that hold their color and form well after cutting.
The Jubilee series is available in deep gold and vivid orange and is a favorite in both home cutting gardens and commercial fresh flower production, offering a combination of stem length, flower size, and bloom longevity that few other African marigold varieties can match.
Queen Sophia French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Queen Sophia’)
Queen Sophia is a celebrated heirloom French marigold variety producing richly colored, fully double flower heads in a warm combination of deep orange and burnished mahogany-red, with petals edged in gold that create a glowing, jewel-like appearance.
The sumptuous color combination has made Queen Sophia one of the most beloved and widely grown French marigold varieties for decades, and it consistently appears on lists of top-performing heritage varieties. Plants grow about twelve inches tall and bloom prolifically from summer to frost, with a color depth and richness that is particularly beautiful in late afternoon light.
Naughty Marietta French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Naughty Marietta’)
Naughty Marietta is a classic, old-fashioned French marigold variety producing single-flowered blooms in a striking combination of rich golden yellow petals boldly marked with a deep mahogany-maroon blotch at the base of each petal, creating a vivid starburst pattern at the center of each bloom.
It is one of the oldest and most recognizable named French marigold varieties still widely grown today and has been a cottage garden staple for well over a century. Plants grow about twelve inches tall and bloom abundantly throughout the season with a cheerful, informal character perfectly suited to relaxed, naturalistic garden styles.
Happy Days French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Happy Days’)
Happy Days is a free-flowering, double-bloomed French marigold variety producing bright, cheerful yellow-gold flowers on compact, well-branched plants reaching about ten inches in height. It is valued for its particularly reliable, continuous blooming habit, rarely pausing to set seed before producing the next flush of flowers.
The clean, bright yellow color is classic and versatile, working well in a wide range of garden contexts from formal bedding schemes to informal mixed borders and container plantings. Happy Days is also noted for good disease resistance and tolerance of both heat and the cooler conditions of early spring.
Mr. Majestic French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Mr. Majestic’)
Mr. Majestic is a striking single-flowered French marigold producing bold blooms with bright golden yellow petals conspicuously striped and marked with deep mahogany-red, creating a dramatic pinwheel effect that is unusual and highly ornamental.
The open flower form is excellent for pollinators and gives the plant a wild, naturalistic character unlike the tidy, double-flowered varieties more commonly seen in bedding schemes. Plants grow about twelve inches tall and bloom freely throughout the warm season, making Mr. Majestic a popular choice for gardeners who want something visually distinctive and ecologically beneficial.
Snowball African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Snowball’)
Snowball is an heirloom African marigold variety producing large, perfectly round, fully double flower heads of soft, creamy white with just a hint of ivory warmth at the center.
The clean, luminous white blooms are particularly effective in evening and moon gardens, where they glow softly in low light, and in wedding and cut flower work, where the unusual coloring of a white marigold provides novelty and interest. Plants grow to about eighteen inches tall with sturdy stems well suited for cutting, and the blooms are long-lasting both in the garden and in arrangements.
Firefly French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Firefly’)
Firefly is a dwarf, single-flowered French marigold variety producing small, open blooms in a warm red-orange with a bright golden yellow center disk, giving the flowers a sparkling, star-like appearance that lives up to the variety name.
Plants stay very compact at just six to eight inches tall, making Firefly one of the smallest of all marigold varieties and an ideal choice for container edges, rock garden pockets, and the very front of planting beds. Despite its diminutive size, Firefly blooms with remarkable abundance and is highly attractive to small native bees and hoverflies.
Toreador African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Toreador’)
Toreador is a classic tall African marigold variety producing exceptionally large, deep orange, fully double flower heads on strong, upright plants growing two to three feet tall. It is one of the most heat-tolerant and reliable of the traditional tall African marigold varieties and has been a garden staple for decades, valued for its robust performance even in the hottest and most humid summer conditions.
The Toreador’s bold, deeply saturated orange flowers are among the brightest and most vivid in the species and create an intensely dramatic effect when planted in large drifts or at the back of a sunny border.
Little Hero Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Little Hero’)
Little Hero is an extra-dwarf French marigold series producing fully double, neat, rounded flower heads on unusually compact plants reaching only six to eight inches in height — among the smallest of any double-flowered French marigold series. The series is available in a range of warm colors including yellow, orange, and red bicolors, and its small stature makes it ideal for edging, rock gardens, window boxes, and small container arrangements.
Despite the miniature plant size, the flower heads are proportionally large and the series blooms with extraordinary abundance from planting through the first hard frost.
Solan Orange African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Solan Orange’)
Solan Orange is a vigorous tall African marigold variety widely grown in India and South Asia, where it is one of the most important commercial marigold varieties for garland production used in religious offerings, wedding decorations, and festival celebrations.
Plants grow two to three feet tall and produce large quantities of loosely double, bright orange flower heads with a high petal count, making them particularly valuable for the fresh and dried flower trade. Solan Orange has exceptional heat tolerance and performs reliably through the monsoon season, which is critical for its commercial cultivation in tropical regions.
Boy Orange French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Boy Orange’)
Boy Orange is a specific color selection within the classic Boy series of dwarf French marigolds, producing vivid, fully double, crested orange flower heads on extra-compact plants reaching just eight inches in height.
The color is a pure, clean orange without any red or mahogany tones, making it one of the most straightforwardly bright and cheerful of all dwarf marigold varieties. It is an excellent choice for massed edging plantings where a single bold, uniform color is desired, and its compact habit makes it resistant to flopping and easy to maintain in a tidy, uniform planting.
Alumia Vanilla Cream French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Alumia Vanilla Cream’)
Alumia Vanilla Cream is a remarkable and highly unusual French marigold variety producing soft, fully double flower heads in a warm, creamy vanilla-ivory color — a shade so atypical for French marigolds that the variety consistently attracts attention and curiosity from gardeners encountering it for the first time.
The creamy blooms have a gentle warmth that pairs beautifully with soft pastels, deep purples, and rich burgundies in mixed plantings. Plants are compact at about ten inches tall and bloom prolifically, combining novelty value with genuine garden usefulness and reliability.
Tagetes Fiesta del Sol (Tagetes ‘Fiesta del Sol’)
Fiesta del Sol is an award-winning dwarf marigold variety developed by crossing African and French marigolds to produce a compact, six-to-eight-inch plant bearing relatively large, bright orange, semi-double to double flower heads for its small size. It received an All-America Selections award for its outstanding performance in trials, demonstrating excellent heat and drought tolerance, prolific and continuous blooming, and a neat, mounded habit that requires no deadheading to maintain its appearance.
Fiesta del Sol is particularly popular for container gardening and as a low-maintenance summer annual in mixed plantings.
Moonsong Deep Orange African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Moonsong Deep Orange’)
Moonsong Deep Orange is an All-America Selections award-winning African marigold variety developed to combine exceptionally large flower heads with a more compact plant habit, solving one of the traditional challenges of tall African marigolds.
Plants grow to about fourteen to sixteen inches tall with strong stems, while the blooms are large and fully double in a rich, deep saturated orange that is among the most intense and warm-toned in the species. Moonsong Deep Orange was specifically bred for outstanding heat tolerance and non-stop flowering, making it suitable for warm summer climates where traditional African marigolds may struggle with the heat to produce flowers.
Alumia Red is a deeply colored French marigold variety producing fully double flower heads in a rich, velvety crimson-red that approaches a true red more closely than almost any other French marigold variety. The intensity and purity of color make Alumia Red a sought-after variety for bold, dramatic bedding schemes and container plantings.
Plants are compact and well-branched at about ten inches tall, and the dark, glossy foliage provides an excellent contrast that enhances the visual impact of the deep red blooms. Alumia Red is particularly striking when planted in large masses or combined with bright yellow and gold companions.
Bonanza Bolero French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Bonanza Bolero’)
Bonanza Bolero is one of the most eye-catching bicolor selections in the popular Bonanza series, producing fully double flower heads with a vivid combination of bright orange and deep mahogany-red petals arranged in concentric rings that create a bold, swirling pinwheel effect.
The combination of two rich, saturated colors in a single bloom gives Bonanza Bolero an especially intense visual impact in the garden, particularly when planted in groups. Plants share the Bonanza series’ characteristic compact, weather-resistant habit at about ten inches tall and bloom with extraordinary profusion from early summer through fall.
Safari Scarlet French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Safari Scarlet’)
Safari Scarlet is a deep, vivid scarlet-red selection from the award-winning Safari series of large-flowered French marigolds, producing fully double flower heads in one of the richest, most saturated reds available in any French marigold variety. The large blooms are held on compact, well-branched plants of about ten to twelve inches, and the series’ characteristic weather resistance ensures that the flowers maintain their quality even during periods of rain and heat.
Safari Scarlet is a popular choice for high-impact mass plantings and is particularly striking when combined with contrasting yellow and gold varieties to create bold, warm-colored display schemes.
Discovery Series French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Discovery’)
The Discovery series is a compact, early-flowering French marigold line producing medium-sized, fully double flower heads on very uniform, well-branched plants reaching about eight to ten inches tall. It was developed with a particular emphasis on early season performance and is among the earliest French marigold series to begin flowering after transplanting, making it ideal for spring bedding displays and early season container plantings.
The Discovery series is available in yellow, orange, and lemon shades and is widely used by commercial growers for early season bedding plant production thanks to its predictability and consistent habit.
Mischief French Marigold (Tagetes patula ‘Mischief’)
Mischief is a charming and somewhat unconventional French marigold variety producing semi-double flowers with loosely arranged petals in cheerful warm orange and yellow bicolors that give the blooms a slightly informal, wildflower-like character compared to the tightly double varieties more commonly grown in formal settings.
Plants are compact and freely branching at about ten inches and bloom continuously throughout the warm season. The relaxed, open flower form of Mischief makes it particularly attractive to a wide range of pollinators and gives it a naturalistic quality that suits cottage garden and meadow-style planting schemes beautifully.
Colossus Series African Marigold (Tagetes erecta ‘Colossus’)
The Colossus series is, as the name suggests, one of the largest-flowered African marigold series available, producing truly enormous, fully double flower heads that can reach up to five inches in diameter on robust, upright plants growing eighteen to twenty-four inches tall.
The blooms are dense, spherical, and tightly packed with petals, giving them a bold, opulent appearance that dominates any planting or arrangement in which they are used. Available in deep gold, bright orange, and yellow, the Colossus series is a top choice for gardeners and florists who want maximum visual impact and the most dramatic flower size the African marigold species can offer.