Gypsy Sunshine Marigold is a dwarf French marigold that brings cheerful golden-yellow double flowers to gardens across hardiness zones 2 through 11. These compact plants grow just 2 to 3 inches tall and mature in 60 to 70 days, making them remarkably quick to deliver color. Beyond their ornamental appeal, the blooms serve a dual purpose: they're stunning natural dyes for both food and fabrics, giving this heirloom variety a practical edge that goes well beyond typical annual flowers.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
3in H x ?in W
—
High
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Golden-yellow double flowers packed densely on bushy, compact plants create an explosion of color in tight spaces. These little powerhouses work equally well tumbling from containers, anchoring garden borders, or filling small beds without the leggy growth of taller marigold varieties. The blooms aren't just pretty; they're prized for yielding rich, natural dyes for food and textile work, turning a simple annual into a genuinely functional plant.
These marigolds shine in ornamental settings where their compact size and prolific flowering matter most. The golden-yellow blooms serve double duty as a source for natural dyes, both for food coloring and fabric dyeing, making them valuable for anyone interested in natural, plant-based color work. Their dense growth habit and continuous flowering make them reliable choices for edging beds, filling containers, and brightening borders throughout the growing season.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last expected frost date. Maintain soil temperatures between 70 and 80°F for steady germination, which typically occurs in 5 to 10 days. Keep the seed bed moist but not waterlogged during germination.
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions before transplanting. Move them outdoors after the last frost date, spacing plants 8 inches apart in full sun locations. Soil temperature should be consistently warm before planting.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after all frost danger has passed and soil has warmed. Scatter seeds at a depth of 1/4 inch and keep the area consistently moist until seedlings emerge.
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