French Marigold 'Red Cherry' Seeds
Forget the bright, shouty orange of municipal bedding schemes. 'Red Cherry' is a stunning French Marigold that produces crested, double flowers in a deep, rich shade of mahogany-red. As the flowers mature, they develop warm, rusty-gold tips, creating a multi-tonal tapestry of colour.
This is a compact, neat variety that forms a uniform mound of ferny foliage. While it looks beautiful in a patio pot or at the front of a border, it is also a working dog in the garden. It is the number one companion plant for vegetable growers, famous for deterring pests from tomatoes and beans with its distinct aroma.
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🌿 Understanding the Plant
French Marigolds (*Tagetes patula*) are **Half-Hardy Annuals**.
They complete their life cycle in one season. Unlike the tall 'African' marigolds, French types are bushy and compact.
The Companion Power: The roots of Tagetes release a chemical (thiophene) that helps suppress harmful soil nematodes, while the scent of the foliage confuses airborne pests like whitefly. Always squeeze a few plants into your greenhouse or veg patch!
🌱 Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow
Marigolds are incredibly easy and fast to grow from seed.
Germination:
Sow indoors from February to April. Scatter seeds on the surface of moist compost and cover with a thin layer of vermiculite. Keep warm (20-25°C). They are very fast, often sprouting in 5-7 days.
Where to Sow:
They demand **full sun**. They will grow in almost any soil, even poor, dry ground. If the soil is too rich (full of manure), they will grow lots of green leaves but fewer flowers.
Care While Growing:
Deadhead: This is crucial. If you snap off the dead flower heads (the ones that feel squishy), the plant will produce non-stop blooms until the first frost in November.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Latin Name | Tagetes patula |
| Common Name | French Marigold 'Red Cherry' |
| Hardiness | H2 (Half-Hardy - Needs Frost Protection) |
| Light Required | Full Sun ☀️ |
| Height | ↕️ 25cm - 30cm (Dwarf) |
| Spread | ↔️ 20cm |
| Spacing | 🌱 20cm apart |
| Great for | 🍅 Vegetable Gardens 🏺 Window Boxes 🐝 Pollinators 🧱 Edging |
| Seed Count | Approx. 100 seeds per packet |
🤝 Perfect Garden Companions
Marigolds are social plants that protect their neighbours:
- 🍅 Tomatoes & Greenhouse Crops: The Bodyguard. Plant a 'Red Cherry' at the base of every tomato plant. The smell repels whitefly and the roots improve the soil health.
- 🔵 Lobelia 'Crystal Palace': The Royal Contrast. The deep mahogany-red of the Marigold looks incredibly rich when planted next to the midnight blue of 'Crystal Palace' Lobelia.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Sow indoors in spring. Plant out in June. Flowers June to October.
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow Indoors | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | |||||||||
| Sow Outdoors | 🟢 | 🟢 | ||||||||||
| Flowers | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 |
⚠️ Slug Alert
Slugs love young marigold plants! When you first plant them out, protect them with wool pellets, copper tape, or organic slug pellets until they get established.
🏆 Officially Recognised Excellence
Marigolds are a top-tier plant for companion planting. The roots release thiophene which helps clear the soil of ground elder and bindweed over time.
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£1.65 - Regular price
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£1.65
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