FlowerMarigold
Inca II Series African Marigold
Inca II is an AAS award-winning African marigold hybrid that brings timeless, oversized blooms to gardens across zones 3 through 11. These bushy annuals reach just 12 to 14 inches tall and mature in 70 to 79 days, producing some of the largest marigold heads available for cutting or garden display. Bred for impact, Inca II delivers the kind of bold, recognizable color that makes a statement whether planted in beds, along walkways, or in containers on the porch.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-11
Sunlight
Full Sun
Growth Stats
14 in
Height
TypeBush
Spacing
12
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
—
Zones
3-11
Size
14in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Inca II produces uncommonly large marigold heads on compact, mounding plants that fill garden spaces efficiently without sprawling. The hybrid vigor behind this series means you get the most prolific blooming and disease resilience in its class. These flowers are floral shop favorites for a reason, their size and form making them stand out from the standard marigold selections you'll find elsewhere.
Common Uses
Inca II thrives as a cut flower, with blooms large enough and sturdy enough for floral arrangements and bouquets. Home gardeners grow them for garden beds and borders, while the compact mounding habit makes them equally at home in containers on patios and porches. The bright, long-lasting flowers draw pollinators and add consistent color from midsummer through frost.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost date for transplants ready when warm weather arrives. Keep soil warm, around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, for reliable germination.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Inca II is hardy only as an annual, thriving in zones 3 through 11, so timing is flexible depending on your region. Space transplants 12 inches apart and water well after planting.
Direct Sow
Direct sowing is possible in warm soil after frost danger has completely passed, though starting indoors gives you earlier blooms.
Pruning
Pinch back young plants when they reach 4 to 6 inches tall to encourage bushier, more compact growth and more flowering stems. Deadhead spent blooms regularly throughout the season to extend flowering until frost. The naturally compact, mounding growth habit means minimal pruning is required beyond these basic practices.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Scientific Classification
Unknown
Growth Habit
Bush
History & Origin
“Inca II represents the work of professional breeders who set out to maximize marigold flower size while keeping plant structure neat and manageable. The series earned an All-America Selections award, recognition that comes only after rigorous trials across North American growing regions. This hybrid carries the genes of African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), known for their substantial flower heads, refined through generations of selection for consistency, vigor, and the kind of visual impact that commands attention in any garden setting.”