Plant Care Library

Other Names:  French Marigold

Group/Class:  Chica Series

Description:

Uniform and early to flower, this variety is stunning when used in borders, patio containers and garden landscapes; bold, fully doubled, orange blooms stand out against contrasting deep green ferny foliage; deadhead to encourage new growth

Ornamental Features

Chica Orange Marigold features bold orange pincushion flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its fragrant ferny leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Chica Orange Marigold is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Chica Orange Marigold is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Chica Orange Marigold will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Chica Orange Marigold is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.