French Marigolds

[w33blegurl]

Hi All

I fancy growing some of these at the lottie to look pretty and attract beneficial insects etc. My questions is, will they self sow and come up again next year? I am planning on [putting them along the edges of the beds so would be ideal if they did!!

Thanks!
Julia

[mothhawk]

Oddly, although called "French" marigolds, tagetes originate in Mexico, where the temperature seldom drops below freezing, so tagetes are not frost hardy.
The seeds, if left outside over winter, will probably die. You can gather them up in autumn, then scatter them about the following spring when the danger of frost is past, though.

[w33blegurl]

Thanks - will try and do that then!

[Aberdeenplotter]

I use french marigolds as companion plants with my onions, They have never ever grown again from seed in the open.

[rustylady]

Calendula (pot or english marigold) is hardy and will self seed. Calendula officinalis - Hardy Annual Seeds - Thompson & Morgan

[Alison]

I have French marigolds in my polytunnel every year and they self seed quite happily (I often wait till they get a certain size and then transplant to get them where I want them) but also I've noticed that if I compost the dead plants I often get them spread the compost around the lottie in general I often get stray plants all over the place so the winter doesn't do for the seeds at all.

Note that calendula, whilst a great plant, isn't hardy as in it will survive frosts and will come again from seed as an annual in the UK but as Rustylady says will self seed very happily.

[w33blegurl]

Thanks for that - I might go for calendula instead then!

[ancee]

You can eat them too - flower petals in salads (Calendulas)

[Two_Sheds]

will they self sow and come up again next year?

No. They're HHA, which means they're too tender for the seeds to survive our winters. I have had the odd couple self-sow, but they've been poorly weak plants, and it only happened once (particularly mild winter)

[Alison]

No. They're HHA, which means they're too tender for the seeds to survive our winters. I have had the odd couple self-sow, but they've been poorly weak plants, and it only happened once (particularly mild winter)

The ones off the compost heap and in the tunnel are excellent plants but suppose they've had the extra protection of a plastic cover and at least some warmth on the heap.

[bearded bloke]

W33blegurl ........ I love your sig

[w33blegurl]

W33blegurl ........ I love your sig

Thanks - it describes my DIY skills to a tee!!