Desert Marigold is an annual or biennial or perennial grown for its yellow blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. Notably, it shrugs off deer, shrugs off dry spells, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Desert Marigold — the short answer
Desert Marigold: full sun, pH 7–9.
- Soil pH
- 7–9
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Desert Marigold on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether desert marigold actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score desert marigold against your land's real conditions.
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See Desert Marigold
What Desert Marigold is
Desert Marigold grows as an annual or biennial or perennial and reaches around a foot and a half at maturity. It blooms yellow in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Desert Marigold
Desert Marigold does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 7 to 9, on fast-draining ground.
USDA Zones
Data pending
Soil pH
7 - 9
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
excessive (dry/moderately dry)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
1.5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant desert marigold in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Desert Marigold prefers pH 7 to 9 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Cut desert marigold blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Desert Marigold thrives
Whether desert marigold thrives on a given site comes down to its soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates — the conditions that vary parcel to parcel.
What grows around Desert Marigold
Growing guides for desert marigold
In rotation planning, desert marigold counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — desert marigold isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Desert Marigold is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Desert Marigold's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Desert Marigold will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether desert marigold actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Desert Marigold
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Desert Marigold in my zone?
Zone data for desert marigold is being finalized. A Growable Ground report checks your parcel's full suitability against federal soil, climate, and zone data.
When should you plant Desert Marigold?
Most growers plant desert marigold after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Desert Marigold need?
Desert Marigold needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Desert Marigold need?
Desert Marigold prefers soil pH 7 to 9, on fast-draining ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Desert Marigold attract pollinators?
Yes — desert marigold's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is Desert Marigold safe for pets?
Desert Marigold is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)