Marigold

Tagetes

French and African marigolds flower bright orange and yellow from early summer until the first frost. They suit beds, pots and the gaps between vegetables. They are easy to grow, but slugs love the young plants. Pick off the faded flowers and new ones keep coming.

Looking after it

Water: Normal watering is enough. Water in dry spells, at the foot of the plant rather than over the flowers. Pots dry out fast in summer, so check them every day. Feeding: Marigolds need little feeding. Ordinary garden soil is enough. Rich soil or too much feed gives you leaves instead of flowers. In pots, a liquid feed every few weeks keeps them flowering.

Cutting and after flowering

Every few days, pinch off the faded flowers just below the head. For the vase, cut them when the flowers are fully open. Cut flowers last about a week in a vase. Strip off any leaves that would sit in the water.

What can go wrong

Slugs and snails. You find holes in the leaves and seedlings gone overnight. Plant out sturdy young plants, not tiny ones. In wet weather, protect them at night.
Grey mould. Grey fuzz appears on flowers and stems in cool, wet weather. Take off the rotting flowers. Leave space between plants so they dry quickly.
Red spider mite. In hot, dry weather the leaves go pale and speckled, with fine webbing, mostly in greenhouses and pots. Keep plants watered. Mist or hose the undersides of the leaves.

Growing facts: RHS, UC ANR and seed-company sowing guides. Marigold care: RHS. pH: University of Connecticut soil testing lab.