Easy to grow and brightly colored, marigolds add cheer to your garden all summer long. Like other blossoms, though, these pretty yellow, pink, white, or yellow flowers fade. Should you start removing spent marigold flowers? Marigold deadheading does help keep the garden looking its best and encourages new blooms. Read on for more information about deadheading marigold plants.
Should I Deadhead Marigolds?
Deadheading is the practice of removing a plant’s spent flowers. This procedure is said to promote new flower growth. Gardeners debate its utility since plants in nature deal with their own faded blossoms without any assistance. So, it’s no surprise you ask, “Should I deadhead marigolds?” Experts say that deadheading is largely a matter of personal preference for most plants, but with highly modified annuals such as marigolds, it is an essential step to keep the plants blooming. So, the answer is a resounding, yes.
Deadheading Marigold Plants
Deadheading marigold plants keeps those cheery flowers coming. Marigolds are annuals and not guaranteed to flower repeatedly. They can populate your garden beds all summer long, however, simply by regular marigold deadheading. Marigolds, like cosmos and geraniums, bloom the entire growing season if you get busy removing spent marigold flowers. Don’t expect to limit your work deadheading marigold plants to one week or even one month. This is a job you will work at all summer long. Removing spent marigold flowers is a process that should continue as long as the plants are in bloom. If you want to know when to deadhead marigolds, start when you see the first faded blossom and keep on marigold deadheading all summer long.
How to go about Marigold Deadheading
You don’t need training or fancy tools to make a success of removing spent marigold flowers. It’s an easy process you can even do with your fingers. You can use pruners or just pinch off the faded flower heads. Make sure to snip off the flower pods that have started developing behind the flower too. Your marigold garden may look perfect today, but then you’ll see faded blossoms tomorrow. Continue removing the dead and wilted flowers as they appear.
-
6 Flower Seeds I’m Gifting Everyone I Know This Christmas – To Inspire Their Garden In 2025Give the most meaningful gift of growing this holiday season. Senior Editor Melanie shares her flower seed picks to delight both new and experienced gardeners.
-
Bold & Beautiful Festive Bloomers: 6 Christmas Flowering Plants For A Big Holiday Buzz‘Tis the season for celebration and easy living, so make sure your plants are up to it. These dynamic Christmas flowering plants will help you see out the season in style
-
Marigold Flower Uses: Marigold Benefits For Gardens And BeyondMarigolds are appreciated primarily for their beauty, and you may not have considered the many surprising marigold benefits for gardens. Click on the following article to learn about ways to use marigold plants in the garden.
-
Marigold Vs. Calendula – Difference Between Marigolds And CalendulasIt’s a common question: Are marigold and calendula the same? The simple answer is no. Although both are members of the sunflower family, marigolds and calendula are plants with different genera. Why all the confusion? Find out in this article and how to tell them apart.
-
Mountain Marigold Care – How To Grow Bush Marigold PlantsA beautiful annual scene is caused by the fall bloom period of Mountain Lemmon marigolds, which may also bloom sporadically in spring and summer, but save their best display for autumn. Click on this article to read more about mountain marigold plants.
-
African Marigold Care: How To Grow African MarigoldsAfrican marigolds were sacred to the Aztecs, who used them as a medicine and as a ceremonial offering to the sun gods. Marigolds are still called the herb of the sun because of this. Click this article for more African marigold information.
-
Marigold Leaf Problems: Treating Marigolds With Yellow LeavesMarigold blossoms are a bright, sunny yellow, but the foliage below the flowers is supposed to be green. If your marigold leaves are turning yellow, you've got marigold leaf problems. To learn what might be causing yellowing marigold leaves, click here.
-
Using Marigolds Around Plants – Do Marigolds Keep Bugs AwayDo marigolds keep bugs away? The best way to find out is to experiment in your own garden, and you really can't go wrong. There's no doubt they attract a variety of beneficial insects that prey on bad bugs. Learn more about marigold plants and pests here.
-
Caring For Marigolds In Pots – Tips On Growing Marigolds In ContainersMarigolds are easygoing plants that bloom reliably, even in direct sunlight, punishing heat and poor to average soil. Although they are beautiful in the ground, growing marigolds in containers is a surefire way to enjoy this delightful plant. Learn more here.
-
Marigold And Tomato Companion Planting: Do Marigolds And Tomatoes Grow Well TogetherMarigolds are appreciated for much more than their beauty; marigold and tomato companion planting is a tried and true technique used by gardeners for hundreds of years. What are the benefits of growing these together? Click here to find out.
