Request: Will Marigolds Re-seed?
Archived on 09/07/2009
I am a new gardener. I have grown marigolds from seed, planted them in the garden, and they are flowering beautifully. Will they grow back next year or will I have to buy some more seeds and start again?
Hardiness Zone: 9a
By bridgetmark from Lincolnshire, UK
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RE: Will Marigolds Re-seed?
Mine have come back for years. They very readily self-sow. Makes it easy, because I know what's going to come up in that spot, less planning for me (and they look happy, too). (07/07/2009)
By Mrs.story
RE: Will Marigolds Re-seed?
Let the last few flowers go to seed, then pick the heads and open them and collect the seeds. (Choose a dry day to do this.) Reasonably mature seeds should be brown in colour, with white tufts at the top where the flower petals were joined. Just pull off any remaining scraps of petals. Leave the seeds scattered on a saucer indoors for a day or two, to really make sure they're dry, then store them in a paper envelope till sowing time next year. (Never use plastic, always paper.)
Marigolds are of the easiest flowers I've found to collect and sow seeds from and they make your hands smell heavenly too when deadheading and collecting the seeds.
Why not collect seeds from any of the flowers you like. It costs nothing, but your time and you might surprise yourself how easy it is. Some are easier to collect than others, and some have a better germination success rate, but so long as you have fun trying, why not? If one type fails, you'll still have time to buy some seeds.
There are a few plants (like lupins) that you will need to buy fresh seed for if you want the full mixture of colours, if the seed pack is labeled F1 seeds, then collected seed will produce only single coloured flowers. In the case of lupins, the natural color is purple. Maureen
(07/13/2009)
By morteenr
RE: Will Marigolds Re-seed?
Yes, they will. I find it best to dead head the first few to encourage more flowers, then just either forget about them and let them seed where they are now, or just rub your thumb or fingers over the seed heads now and again. When they are ready they will fall off into your hands, then just put them where you want them to grow.
Gail x (07/14/2009)
By daff55odil
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