Is Marigold deer resistant?
Tagetes patula
About Marigold
Pungent foliage that deer generally avoid, and the plant most often recommended as a living repellent to interplant through a vegetable bed. Treat that claim carefully. Marigolds do have real documented effects against certain soil nematodes, which is a different mechanism entirely and requires growing a dense stand and turning it in, not dotting a few plants between tomatoes. The idea that the smell deters deer or rabbits from neighbouring plants does not hold up. As a plant in its own right it is hard to fault. It flowers from planting until frost, tolerates heat and poor soil, and self-sows gently. Deadhead it and it keeps going.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 8 to 12 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Moderate
- Salt
- Moderate
- Pollinators
- Moderate
- Containers
What to plant it with
- Zinnia
Straightforward annual bed. Both take full sun and neither is a deer favourite.
Similar to Marigold
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- Annual CandytuftIberis umbellataGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual SalviaSalvia splendensGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Annual VerbenaVerbena x hybridaGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- Bachelor's ButtonsCentaurea cyanusGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- BasilOcimum basilicumGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
- BorageBorago officinalisGrown as an annual, any zoneSeldom damaged
Where Marigold grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Marigold belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Marigold
- Is Marigold deer resistant?
- Marigold (Tagetes patula) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Marigold grow in?
- Marigold is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Marigold grow in shade?
- No. Marigold wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Marigold get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–12 in. Growth rate is fast.
- When does Marigold bloom?
- Marigold flowers from June–October.