Chica Flame Marigold is a dwarf French marigold with fully double, ruffled blooms that glow with a gilded appearance. Each flower reaches 2 to 3 inches across, featuring a rich golden center bordered in cadmium yellow that justifies its 'flame' name. Plants stay compact at roughly 10 inches tall, making them perfect for edging beds or tucking into vegetable gardens as companion plantings. Ready to flower in 55 to 65 days from seed, this heirloom cultivar thrives in full sun across hardiness zones 2 through 11.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
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High
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The fully double, ruffled petals give these blooms an almost velvet-like texture, with their gilded golden and cadmium yellow coloring creating real presence in small spaces. At just 10 inches tall and densely compact, Chica Flame packs serious flower power into tight quarters, making it a perfect choice for containers, borders, or the vegetable garden where its bright presence can serve as a natural pest deterrent. The blooms reach an impressive 2 to 3 inches across despite the plant's diminutive stature, offering substantially more flower than you'd expect from such a dwarf form.
These marigolds are grown primarily as ornamental flowers for garden beds, borders, and container plantings. They're particularly valued for positioning alongside vegetable gardens, where their presence is believed to benefit neighboring plants. The flowers can be dried for arrangements and decorative purposes.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date, maintaining soil temperature at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds will sprout in 5 to 10 days. Transplant seedlings outdoors after the danger of frost has completely passed and soil has warmed.
Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days before transplanting. Move them into the garden after all frost danger is gone and soil temperature has reached at least 60 degrees. Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart.
Direct sow seeds into the garden after all frost danger has passed and soil has warmed to at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pinch back the growing tips when plants are 3 to 4 inches tall to encourage bushier, more compact growth and fuller flower production. Deadhead spent blooms regularly throughout the season to keep plants flowering prolifically.
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