Marigolds give some of the showiest color in the landscape.  That's why the gardeners of  Wetaskiwin were asked to plant  yellow marigolds  to put on a real show and provide a consistent theme throughout the city in celebration of its 100^th anniversary in 2007.

Marigolds thrive best is full sun and a rich well-drained soil, but can tolerate average to slightly poor soils.  Transplant marigolds into your garden after the last frost.  Plant spacing varies from 6 to 9 inches for the smaller marigolds and up to 18 inches for the marigold varieties.  Add mulch around the plants for appearance and to keep weeds down.

The smaller varieties of Marigolds do well in containers.

Summer care of marigolds is simple.  Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week and to keep that flower production at full speed, feed with light applications of a 12-6-6 or balanced fertilizer about every six weeks. Deadheading the old flowers will encourage additional bloom.

Marigolds are annuals and susceptible to frost. They may survive the first light frost with only a little damage. They will not survive a hard frost or freeze.

Typically, insects avoid Marigolds.  It seems the pungent odor of the flowers repels pests.  This is why Marigolds make good companion plants.   However, this does not mean that Marigolds are never problem free. Spider mites can devastate marigolds in hot, dry weather and grasshoppers and slugs can cause damage to the plants.