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Bolero French Marigold is an AAS-winning hybrid that brings festive, multicolored blooms to gardens from zone 2 through 11. These compact bushes reach just 4 to 8 inches tall and flower in 50 to 59 days, making them wonderfully fast from seed to bloom. No two flowers are identical; some open as solid yellow, others as deep red, with countless spotted and striped combinations in between. Whether tucked into containers or scattered through vegetable beds, these cheerful plants deliver continuous color with minimal fuss.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
8in H x ?in W
—
High
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Each bloom on Bolero is genuinely one-of-a-kind, with some flowers solid yellow, others nearly scarlet, and plenty displaying striking spots and stripes that make every plant a small celebration. The compact 4 to 8-inch height keeps them tidy in tight spaces, yet they produce abundant flowers from early summer through frost. An AAS award winner, this hybrid was developed specifically for its reliable performance and garden impact.
Bolero French Marigolds are grown primarily for ornamental color in containers, garden beds, and mixed plantings. Their compact size and prolific flowering habit make them especially suited to pots and window boxes where space is limited, while their continuous blooms from early summer through first frost add weeks of color to vegetable gardens and flower borders.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow seeds on moist seed-starting mix at a soil temperature of 70 to 80°F. Seeds typically germinate within 7 to 10 days. Transplant seedlings into individual pots once they develop true leaves and grow under bright light to keep plants stocky and compact.
Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days before planting. Transplant after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Space plants 8 inches apart in prepared garden beds or containers.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last spring frost date when soil has warmed to at least 70°F. Press seeds gently onto moist soil; they require light to germinate and should not be covered.
Pinch back young transplants when they reach 3 to 4 inches tall to encourage branching and a fuller, bushier form. Deadheading spent flowers regularly throughout the growing season promotes continuous blooming and extends flowering into fall.
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“Bolero French Marigold earned its AAS (All-America Selections) award recognition as a hybrid cultivar of Tagetes patula, the French marigold species. The variety was bred to combine the compact, bushy growth habit and prolific flowering of French marigolds with the dramatic multicolored patterns that make each bloom a small work of art. This hybrid development reflects decades of careful selection aimed at creating a marigold that performs reliably in home gardens while delivering visual impact that outshines solid-colored cousins.”