Tithonia diversifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is commonly known as the tree marigold, Mexican tournesol, Mexican sunflower, Japanese sunflower or Nitobe chrysanthemum. It is native to Mexico and Central America but has a nearly pantropical distribution as an introduced species. Tithonia diversifolia is 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) in height with upright and sometimes ligneous stalks in the form of woody shrubs. The large, showy flowers are yellow to orange colored and 5–15 cm wide and 10–30 cm long.
Tree marigold will grow in most soils as long as they are well drained and it likes a sunny but sheltered position. I’ve found that it needs very little water so it’s a great candidate for that hard to reach spot where it won’t get much attention and where you might regularly forget to water. Cut it back every now and then to promote flower growth and keep the bush from becoming too straggly.
In most cases, you will not need to fertilize marigolds. The only reason to use fertilizer is when they are planted in extremely poor soil that is lacking nutrients.
Though they grow in almost any soil, marigolds do best in moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Prepare the soil by digging down about 6 inches to loosen it.
When you find that there are a lot of dead or used up blooms on the plant, you should prune the plant to encourage growth. With a marigold, this does not mean trimming the plant in any way, you will most likely only need to pinch the dead bloom from the stem. The more you remove these dead blooms, the more new blooms will begin to grow on the plant.
Grow your tall Marigold varieties 40cm apart and the dwarf varieties 20cm apart to give room to the growing branches. This will result in a uniform display. Minimum temperature for growing marigolds is 10°C. Optimum temperature for the germination of seeds is 19°C.
Although they are beautiful in the ground, growing marigolds in containers is a surefire way to enjoy this delightful plant.
Tree marigolds (Tagetes lemmonii) are also known as mountain marigolds, Mexican bush marigolds and tangerine marigolds. They're delightful, vigorous, tough plants that grow as sprawling large bushes or small trees to 1.5m with narrow, strongly segmented green leaves that smell like lemon, mint and tangarine combined.
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