Grow and Care for Desert Marigold

Grow desert marigold in full sun, in soil that drains, and water it only until the roots take. Baileya is the Latin. Paper daisy and showy desert marigold are the same plant.

Give it full sun, soil that drains, and little extra water once the roots take

Desert marigold wants full sun and a hole that drains. Shade is the main reason it stays thin and blooms poorly. Water a new plant until the roots take, then stretch the watering so the soil dries between waterings. Wet soil around the crown is the usual cause of rot. [1]

1. Choose full sun. A south or west bed that drains is better than a dark north corner.
2. Set it in soil that drains. Sandy, gravelly, or rocky ground is the usual fit. Clay is fine if water does not stand around the crown.
3. Water through the first weeks after planting. Then stretch the watering so the soil dries before you water again. [2]
4. Skip extra fertilizer unless the plant looks thin after a full season. Rich, wet ground is the usual cause of rot.

Plant in fall, at the same depth as the pot

Knock the plant from its pot and set the root ball at the same depth it was already growing. Dig a hole about twice as wide as the root ball, and no deeper. Plant in fall if you can, or in early spring, water after you plant, and do not set a transplant into peak summer heat.

1. Plant in fall if you can, so the roots settle before the first hot summer. Early spring is the next-best window.
2. Dig a hole about twice as wide as the root ball, and no deeper. Backfill with the same soil. Do not mix in extra compost that holds water around the crown. [3]
3. Set the root ball even with the surrounding soil. Do not bury the crown.
4. Leave about 12 to 18 inches between plants so the mounds can fill. Water to settle the soil, then stretch the watering as the roots take.

Cut it back in late winter to a few inches

In late winter, cut last year's stems to a few inches so new growth can come from the crown. You can also snip spent flower stalks through the season if you want a neater mound and fewer seedlings. If you want the stand to reseed, leave the papery heads in place until they drop seed.

1. Cut the plant back to a few inches in late winter, or in fall after bloom, to take out dead stems and start new growth. [4]
2. Snip spent flower stalks through the season only if you want fewer volunteers. The spent heads turn papery; that is normal, not a problem.
3. Wait for new growth from the crown in spring before you decide a plant is dead. One plant is short-lived, so a gap in the clump is often a missing seedling, not a missing watering.
4. Take out a broken stalk any time. Leave the woolly basal leaves in place.

Not a garden marigold — and not a pot marigold

Desert marigold is Baileya, a woolly Southwest daisy with gray-green leaves. Garden marigold is Tagetes, the familiar summer annual — see How to Grow Marigolds.

Pot marigold is Calendula, a different cool-season daisy — see How to Grow Calendula. Marsh marigold is Caltha, a wet-ground plant, not this one. Paper daisy is also a shop name for strawflower; if the tag is not Baileya, you do not have this plant. Brittlebush is Encelia, a silvery desert shrub — see How to Grow Brittlebush. Angelita daisy is Tetraneuris — see How to Grow Angelita Daisy. Blanket flower is Gaillardia — see How to Grow Blanket Flower.

How to grow desert marigold from seed

Seed is the easy start. Sow a lot, because germination is uneven. Cover the seed about a quarter inch. Sow in fall with no extra treatment, or in spring after a short moist chill in the fridge.

1. Sow in fall on weed-free ground, and cover the seed about a quarter inch. Fall-sown seed needs no extra treatment.
2. If you sow in spring, keep the seed moist and cold in sand in the fridge for two to three weeks first, then cover it the same way.
3. Water lightly until seedlings show. Do not leave the crown of a young plant wet.
4. Thin to about 12 to 18 inches once the seedlings have a few true leaves. Skip cuttings. Seed is the reliable method.

Set desert marigold in full sun, in soil that drains, and water it only until the roots take.