Mexican Bush Marigold

Thu, 09/03/2009 - 9:22am — Kathy Ormiston

Photo Credit:

Marianne Mueller, PADG

Botanical Name:

Tagetes lemmonii

Pronunciation:

(tah-JEE-deez lem-mon-ee-eye)

Common Name:

Mexican Bush Marigold

Plant Type:

Perennial

Mature Size:

4 ft. to 6 ft. wide and 3 ft. to 6 ft. tall

Water Requirements:

Low: water every 3 weeks until the root ball is wet

Sun/Shade Requirements:

Full to half sun

Flower Color :

Yellow

Wildlife:

Attracts butterflies

This plant is deer resistant

Tagetes lemmonii is a sprawling shrub-like perennial with cheerful yellow flowers and aromatic leaves. The plant is originally from Mexico and the southwestern U.S.

Mexican bush marigold can become large and ungainly, so we recommend shearing this plant several inches from the ground in the spring to keep the plant compact and give it a nice shape. Also you should prune out any frost damage once the danger of frost is over.

Tagetes lemmonii is not long-lived in the garden, but if you like yellow flowers and enjoy the smell of its leaves this plant is worth planting. In the water wise garden in Palo Alto, we removed Tagetes lemmonii because it repeatedly suffered frost damage and was not attractive.