French Marigold 'Red Cherry' Seeds

While many people grow marigolds just for their pest-repelling reputation, 'Red Cherry' proves they can be stunningly beautiful too. This variety produces a profusion of double, mahogany-red flowers with a cheeky flash of gold on the underside of the petals. As the flowers mature, they develop a rusty-orange glow that looks like burning embers in the evening light.

This is a compact, neat variety that never gets scruffy. It forms a tidy mound of feathery, aromatic foliage covered in blooms, making it perfect for edging paths, filling window boxes, or guarding your vegetable patch with a splash of colour.

Why Your Garden Needs 'Red Cherry'

We love this plant because it is a "guardian" flower. The roots and foliage emit a scent that repels whitefly and nematodes, making it the best friend your tomatoes and beans will ever have. Planting a ring of these around your veg bed is an old cottage garden trick that actually works.

It is also incredibly tough. Once established, 'Red Cherry' laughs at heat and drought. When other delicate annuals are wilting in the mid-summer sun, these just keep pumping out flowers until the first frost.

Understanding the Plant: What is a Half-Hardy Annual?

French Marigold is a Half-Hardy Annual.

This means it completes its entire lifecycle in one season but cannot survive a frost.
Spring: Sow indoors in warmth to get a head start, or wait until the soil warms up to sow outside.
Summer/Autumn: It blooms non-stop from June to October.
Top Tip: Deadheading is the secret! If you snap off the old, faded flower heads, the plant will instantly produce new buds to replace them.

Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow

This is one of the best seeds for beginners and children because the seeds are large, easy to handle, and germinate very quickly.

🌱 Germination:
Sow indoors from February to April for early flowers, or directly outdoors in May/June. Sow the seeds on the surface of moist compost and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite or compost (approx 5mm). They love warmth and will sprout in just 5-10 days.

Where to Sow:
They are sun worshippers. Plant them in full sun in well-drained soil. They don't need rich soil; in fact, if the soil is too rich, you'll get lots of green leaves but fewer flowers.

Care While Growing:
Water young plants regularly. Once they are established, they are quite drought tolerant. Pinch out the growing tip when the plants are young to encourage them to bush out and produce more flower stems.

Plant Specifications

Here is a quick reference guide to the key features.

My Recommended Garden Companions

Marigolds are the ultimate companion plant. Here are the best friends to plant alongside them from the shop:

• 🍝 Basil 'Classic Italian': The classic "Tomato Salad" trio. Plant Marigolds, Basil, and Tomatoes together. They all love full sun, and the Marigolds help keep the pests away from your precious Basil leaves.
• 🌸 Zinnia 'Lilliput Mix': If you want a vibrant, hot-coloured border, Zinnias are the perfect partner. They thrive in the same hot, sunny conditions but add a different pom-pom flower shape that looks cheerful next to the marigolds.

📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar

Sow indoors in spring for best results, or outdoors once frosts have passed.

(↔️ Swipe chart to see all months)