Marigold, African Marigold, Aztec Marigold 'Simba'

I harvested the seeds of Tagetes Erecta 'Simba' from flowers at a Dia de los Muertos festival about three years ago. I plant them in star...Read Moreter soil and transfer them to my garden/yard soil when they have grown to about three inches. They grown very rapidly in August and bloom in mid-October. I live in El Paso, Texas, and they require a good amount of water, as their native climate is much more moist. They can be found throughout southern Mexico, particularly Oaxaca. My did not all grow straight up as I kept them in a bit of shade. They grown to about 3 feet and are very hardy. The temperature in El Paso tends to drop into the mid-40s with highs in the mid-70s this time of year (late October/early November), yet the blooms are strong. Blooms will last a couple more weeks if the flowers are not trimmed. They do transfer well to indoors after being cut. The blooms are 2" - 3" in size. I make sure that the heads of the flowers are completely dry before harvesting the seeds. I took these photos this morning (November 2, 2010 - Dia de los Muertos)!

This was a very easy plant to grow. I was suprised on how tall this plant got - an easy 36" - in a pot! Simba will definitely be a part...Read More of my garden for years to come!