Description
Grow a garden filled with Tiger Eye French Marigolds, from freshly harvested Tagetes patula seeds. Tiger Eye is a French variety of Marigold that will produce gorgeous, brightly colored blooms through the summer months. The flowers are ruffled, displaying several rows of red petals, accented by a bright yellow center. Tiger Eye will grow to a mature height of roughly 12 inches tall, and can spread roughly 4 to 6 inches wide.
You might be surprised to know that Marigold flowers are not only attractive, but they will deter pesky insects as well. Bugs such as mosquitoes, fleas and ticks will stay away from these beauties. However, they will also attract an array of beneficial insects to the garden as well, such as butterflies, bumblebees, honeybees, hummingbirds and even lady bugs. Marigolds look great in flower beds, raised beds, along borders and even in large pots and containers as well.
Marigold plants are grown as annual flowering plants. Annuals will grow quickly from freshly harvested seeds, bloom profusely through the summer months, and will later die with the first signs of frost. You can easily collect seeds from spent blooms at the end of the season, for resowing the following year. Seeds can also drop to the bare ground beneath, establishing fresh plants in the Spring.
To extend your bloom time, try to prune and deadhead your Marigold flowers, so that fresh flowers can take their place. Look for old and withered flowers and simply pop the heads off, or snip with a pair of scissors.