FlowerMarigold
Antigua Series African Marigold
Antigua Series African Marigolds are hybrid workhorses that deliver brilliantly colored, fully double blooms throughout the summer growing season. These compact plants reach just 10 to 16 inches tall and produce the classic 3-inch marigold flowers gardeners love for fresh arrangements and dried bouquets. From seed to full color takes 70 to 79 days, making them fast enough to enjoy even in shorter growing seasons. Hardy across zones 3 through 11, they thrive in full sun and grow as reliable annuals for both outdoor beds and indoor growing.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-11
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Moderately Fertile Loam
Growth Stats
16 in
Height
TypeBush
Spacing
10
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-11
Size
16in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
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Highlights
The defining feature of Antigua Series is those perfectly formed, fully double blooms that open to a pristine 3-inch diameter, giving you the quintessential marigold flower people immediately recognize and reach for in the garden. The hybrid genetics behind this series unlock a consistency and productivity that heirloom marigolds often can't match; you're getting reliable color from start to finish without the leggy growth or sparse blooming that sometimes plague older varieties. At just 10 to 16 inches, these plants maintain a neat, bushy shape that works as well in a cutting garden as in containers or massed in a border, so they earn their space no matter how you garden.
Common Uses
Antigua Series marigolds excel as cut flowers for fresh bouquets and floral arrangements, and they dry exceptionally well for long-lasting dried arrangements. The fully double form and consistent 3-inch bloom size make them particularly valued by florists and home arrangers. They're equally at home grown as seasonal color in garden beds, containers, and borders where their reliable blooming habit keeps color flowing through summer heat.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow seeds on the surface or just barely press them into moist seed-starting mix, as light aids germination. Keep soil consistently moist and warm, around 70 to 75°F. Seedlings emerge in 7 to 10 days and develop quickly; transplant to larger cells once they have true leaves.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after your last frost date when soil has warmed. Harden off plants by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Space plants 10 inches apart with 36 inches between rows for garden production. They transplant readily and establish quickly in warm soil.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost date and soil has warmed. Press seeds lightly into the soil surface; they need light to germinate. Thin seedlings to 10 inches apart once they have true leaves.
Harvesting
Cut flowers for fresh arrangements once blooms are fully open and petals feel papery. Harvest in early morning when stems are most turgid. For drying, cut stems when flowers are fully double and at their peak color, then hang bundles upside down in a warm, well-ventilated space out of direct sunlight until completely dry, usually 2 to 3 weeks.
Pruning
Pinch out the center stem when seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall to encourage branching and a fuller, bushier plant shape. Deadhead spent flowers regularly throughout the season to redirect energy into new blooms rather than seed production, extending your flowering period well into fall.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Scientific Classification
Tagetes erecta
Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Tagetes
Growth Habit
Bush
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (W)