With various shades of yellow or orange bursting forth in the garden, and simply marvelous ripples —the Marigold commands an annual presence, but …do Marigolds come back every year?
This flower gives something back every year. Want to know what it is? You should not leave this flower out of your garden plan because of what it does year after year.
Whether tall and flared or short and bushy, the Marigold (particularly in Zone 5/6) brings a long-lasting summer flower that even extends into the late fall. But, unfortunately, in colder regions they do not come back every year.
Nevertheless, Marigolds don’t just bring a pop of color and a musty odor that deters pest, but they give an amazing yield of seeds.
Each marigold flower brightly blooms and then fades leaving a perfectly contained ‘pod’ (the ovary that is) of plenty of seeds for your next gardening season.
Steps To Collect and Save Marigold Seeds:
1. Cut off faded flowers
(with Ovary ‘pod’ of seeds)
2. Allow to dry out
3. Save in a paper bag
How To Plant Marigold Seeds:
1. Next season, remove individual seeds from ovary (see photo above)
2. Plant in seed starter soil indoors in spring
3. Transplant outdoors after your local frost date (best after May 10 in Zones 5/6)
4. Pinch back first set of full leaves for bushier growth
