African Marigold 'Taishan Orange' – Summer Bedding (2L Pot)

African marigold 'Taishan Orange' carries big ball shaped orange flowers in quantity from late spring until the first frosts.

African marigolds, Tagetes erecta, are the taller kind with large, densely double blooms, and Taishan is a dwarf selection bred to hold those big flowers on a short, sturdy plant of around 25 to 45cm each way. The flowers sit above fresh green, strongly aromatic foliage. The scent is in the leaves rather than the flowers, and it is a large part of why rabbits and deer tend to leave marigolds alone.

Give it full sun and a fertile, well drained soil, or a good compost in a pot, and deadhead as the flowers go over so new ones keep coming. Prolonged wet can rot the big double flowerheads, so a spot that dries out between showers suits it best. It is not hardy, so plant out after the last frost and expect the first cold night of autumn to blacken it. Each plant is supplied established in a 2L pot, grown peat free in Yorkshire. Marigolds can cause mild stomach upset if eaten.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Marigold
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 25 to 45cm tall, 25 to 40cm across
• Growth Habit: Compact and bushy
• Perfect For: Beds, borders, patio containers, window boxes and bedding displays
• Foliage: Fresh green and strongly aromatic
• Flowering Time: Late spring to autumn
• Planting Position: Full sun, and it grows well in patio pots and containers
• Soil Type: Fertile and well drained
• Hardiness: Not hardy. Plant out after the last frost.
• Maintenance: Deadhead through the season to keep it flowering
• Seasonal Interest: Spring, summer and autumn
• Type: Summer bedding plant