African Marigold Fantastic Orange seeds - Tagetes erecta

African Marigold 'Fantastic Orange', known by its Latin name Tagetes erecta, produces double flowers, reminiscent of chrysanthemums, with wavy, tousled petals of a bright medium orange. Thanks to its tightly packed flowers, it resists adverse weather conditions better, while its branching structure promotes abundant flowering throughout the summer. This annual plant is perfect for structuring borders and enhancing flower beds, while also creating bright bouquets for the home.

Tagetes erecta, better known as Marigold, is a plant from the asteraceae family native to Mexico, Central America, and western South America. This perennial but frost-sensitive species has given rise to numerous varieties and hybrids, among which is 'Fantastic Orange', well-branched and floriferous. This plant quickly forms compact clumps of 70 to 80 cm in height by 40 to 50 cm wide, covered with very finely cut, pinnate, dark shiny green foliage rich in essential oils, distinguished by its particular fragrance, which can be unpleasant. Its flowering is long and remarkably generous: its yellow and slightly twisted flowers are grouped in very double, globose and slightly flattened, 8 to 10 cm diameter heads.

Marigolds are star plants in summer flower beds or vegetable gardens. The long and luminous flowering of 'Fantastic Orange' allows for a multitude of uses, along a pathway, or to highlight summer or autumn flower beds. Plant them with annual and perennial plants that love the sun like lavenders, sages, cosmos, daylilies, coreopsis, and nasturtiums.

The strong smell of marigold foliage and the substances secreted by their roots repel certain insects harmful to crops, which is why these plants are often planted  among the vegetables in the garden. Marigold extract is used to produce a food colouring called zeaxanthin or E151h, a natural pigment safe for human consumption.