FRENCH
AND AFRICAN MARIGOLD
Family COMPOSITAE
Tagetes species
Annual
This is a genus, native to Mexico, of half-hardy
annuals erroneously supposed to have originated
in Africa.
Tagetes erecta is still called the African Marigold.
It is of upright growth of two to three feet with
flower-heads of brilliant orange or yellow.
The French Marigold is Tagetes patula, with finely
divided fern-like leaves and flowers, one and
a half inches across, on one to one-and-a-half
feet stems.
The flowers of the type are yellow, marked red.
Those of garden varieties may vary from yellow
to orange, all with red, maroon or mahogany markings.
The dwarf var. nana is excellent for edging.
Tagetes signata, one to one and a half feet, has
finely cut leaves and solitary yellow flowers,
one inch across.
There is a six-inch dwarf form in var. pumila.
Although seed may be sown out-of-doors in April
where the plants are to flower, the best flowers
are produced from seedlings raised under glass
from seed sown in March and planted out-of-doors
in May.
Propagation is from seed.
The flowering season is from late June to September.
Tagetes – Marigold
Half Hardy Annual.
Six inches to two feet.
Flowers yellow, orange and brown, July to October.
To distinguish the French and African Marigolds
from the Pot-Marigold or Calendula, they are here
given under their Latin name.
Tagetes erecta, the African
Marigold, is a strong upright grower, two feet
or more in height, bearing dense double flowers
three or four inches across, either of strong
orange or sulphur yellow.
In a batch of seedlings
there will always be a proportion of single flowers,
but these, with a conical centre and large outer
petals, are not ineffective.
Tagetes patula, the French, is like the African, except
that it is blotched, and spotted with dark brown
or maroon.
The strain most usually grown is the
dwarf compact, less than a foot high, with may
small double flowers.
This is very convenient
for bedding out in masses; the taller Africans
are better in clumps of two or three here and
there in mixed borders.
Tagetes signata pumila is a
gay half-hardy annual, producing abundance of
bright yellow flowers until the autumn frosts.
All the varieties should be sown on moderate heat,
50° to 65°; the first of April is soon
enough, as the plants grow very rapidly, and may
overcrowd the frames before it is safe to put
them out.
Prick off on beds of light rich soil
under glass, the African eight inches apart, the
French dwarf four.
Harden by judicious taking
off of the lights, plant out in ordinary garden
soil in sunny open positions; no after-care should
be needful, beyond keeping the ground clean and
open.
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