Marigold ‘Brocade’

Tagetes erecta

TAG-e-teez  ee-RECK-tuh

Syn.

Tagetes patula

TAG-e-teez PAT-yoo-luh

Synonyms of Tagetes erecta (10) (Updated on 12-3-23 from Plants of the World Online): Tagetes corymbosa Sweet, Tagetes elongata Willd., Tagetes erecta f. pleniflora Moldenke, Tagetes heterocarpha Rydb., Tagetes major Gaertn., Tagetes patula L., Tagetes patula aurantiaca T.Moore, Tagetes patula nanissima T.Moore, Tagetes remotiflora Kunze, Tagetes tenuifolia Kunth

Tagetes erecta L. is the accepted scientific name for this species of Marigold. The genus and species were named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the second volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

As of 12-3-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 49 species in the Tagetes genus. It is a member of the plant family Asteraceae with 1,702 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO. The number of genera in the family fluctuates quite often. 

THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.

I started growing Marigold ‘Brocade’ while I was living at the mansion in Leland, Mississippi. I grew several other cultivars but ‘Brocade ‘ was my favorite. I liked the dark mahogany-red flowers with the petals edged in gold the best.

As you can see in the above photo, ‘Brocade’ is a double French-type Marigold. Previously, French types were considered Tagetes patula, but now they have found their way to the genus Tagetes erecta. Many scientific names have changed over the past several years, and some of the changes have been surprising. Previously, the taller Marigolds were Tagetes erecta while the shorter, bushier types were Tagetes patula… I am not a botanist, so I just go with the flow…

<<<<2015>>>>

When I first started growing the Marigold ‘Brocade’ I liked the redder flowers the best. So, I saved the seeds in 2012 from just the red flowers. After I moved to Missouri I planted the seeds in the bed behind the old foundation (where my grandparent’s former home was). Very few seeds came up but they were red. So, I saved seeds from them plus several came up volunteer. There were more in 2014.

<<<<2016>>>>

By 2016 I didn’t even have to plant seeds because enough were coming up on their own. I transplanted a lot of them into the northeast corner bed behind the foundation. As you can see in the above photo they appear to be all red.

<<<<2017>>>>

I didn’t even collect seeds and in the spring of 2017 but hundreds were coming up from seed on their own. BUT, they weren’t all red this time. Many are orange…

Now that is a beautiful red flower. Deep mahogany red edged with gold and a gold center, which gets larger as the flower matures.

I transplanted a whole row of Marigold ‘Brocade’ in front of the bed on the south side of the house. The plants grew HUGE and one measured 33 1/2″ tall x 36 1/2″ wide on August 20 (2018). Ummm… Information online says Marigold ‘Brocade’ grows to around 12″ tall… The plants had a lot of buds…

By the 29th of August, a lot of the flowers were wide open and looking great. The flowers were in various shades…

The seeds came up like crazy in 2017 and I had to thin them out quite a bit and transplant as many as I could in other areas… GEEZ!

I transplanted a few in the northeast corner bed next to the old foundation where I had put the Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’. There were also a few native Rudbeckia hirta in the bed. Ummm… There is also rhubarb, horseradish, and Iris in this bed…

NICE!

I always take a lot more photos than I have words for…

 

I think this is the same plant that I measured before. Photo #367-18.

Here it is again… But you see what happens when the plants get LOADED with flowers. They get heavy and the branches collapse. When this happened in Mississippi, I would go to the alley and cut small bamboo stakes, and place them around the plants. I tied a twine all around the plants a stood them back up… I don’t have bamboo here so I have to use small branches. They never grew this tall in Mississippi, though…

I also had a patch of Marigold ‘Brocade’ in a corner bed next to the steps on the back deck… Temperatures were getting cooler and I had to move the potted plants inside for the winter. I know what is soon to happen…

Even after a light “F”, the Marigolds were still looking pretty good. The flowers really turned RED…

By October 28, time was running out for the Marigolds…

<<<<2018>>>>

In 2018, the Marigolds still came up here and there but not like in 2017. It all depends on how hard a winter we have. I transplanted quite a few in the corner bed by the back porch…

Luckily, most of the flowers were nice and dark red… Even though the Marigolds continue to come up here and there, they have fizzled out a lot. I need to collect seeds in 2021 just in case they fail to come up in 2022. We had a very cold mid-February in 2021, we will just have to see what happens… Hopefully, several seeds will make it through the winter…

Marigolds grow their best and make more sturdy plants when they are grown in full sun. They are very drought tolerant and will continue to grow and flower until they get zapped by frost.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant. If you notice I made an error, please let me know. Of course, you can always send me an email at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/T. erecta/T. patula)
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
GARDENIA