Marigold Moonsong Deep Orange

Looking at this orange Marigold reminds us of what it must have been like when Technicolor® was introduced -- everyone thought that movies were in full color already, and then suddenly all the colors were far brighter, deeper, and richer! The pumpkin-toned blooms of Moonsong Deep Orange add a whole new palette into the range of Marigolds -- and they're also the most fade-resistant, so they keep those deep lovely hues all summer long, no matter how how it gets!

Moonsong Deep Orange was awarded an All-America Selection for 2010 on the strength of its non-fading color alone, but that's only one of its merits. These fully double flowers reach 2½ to 3½ inches wide, and they can begin opening just 70 days from sowing the seed, extending Marigold season in many gardens!

And the best part is that you never have to deadhead them! That's right -- the old blooms are covered up by foliage, so you don't have to do the biweekly round of the Marigold plants, snipping or pinching away! Well, gardening doesn't get much easier than this!

Moonsong Deep Orange reaches 12 to 15 inches high and 11 to 14 inches wide in the garden. It's ideal for 6-inch containers, where it grows more compact, perfectly filling-and-spilling so it looks lush and beautiful all season. We recommend you pot up at least a few of these plants, even if you normally grow them all in the annual bed. They're showpieces, and you'll want to enjoy them up close. And don't forget to line your tomato bed with them -- they kill nematodes just as effectively as their pale cousins! (Though no Marigold equals Golden Guardian for that task!)

Marigolds are one of the easiest seeds to direct-sow in the warm spring garden, but if you want to get a jump on the season, they don't mind being transplanted. You can germinate them indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last anticipated frost in your area. Just drop the seeds into the holes in your Bio Dome (or lightly cover them with soil if you're using seed flats) and keep the temperature between 70 and 75 degrees F. They'll sprout within a week, and will grow on at any temperature between 50 and 65 degrees F. Transplant them when outdoor temperatures reach 60 degrees F. All they need is full sunshine and well-drained soil -- for heaviest flowering, go easy on the fertilizer. Pkt is 25 seeds.