Marigolds are so easy to grow that they’re often recommended as a good plant for children to learn how to garden.
That easygoing nature makes them a fairly sure thing in the face of all kinds of gardening challenges, including container gardening.
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I know from experience that it can sometimes be hard to keep potted plants alive. They’re prone to drying out quickly, and if you forget to fertilize it can spell disaster. But marigolds make it easy.
They’ll forgive you if you get a bit lazy during the dog days of summer, and they’ll keep on giving you that bright, boisterous display.
We’re going to go over everything you should know to make these plants happy. Here’s what we’ll cover:
I don’t know what I’d do without marigolds in containers. My patio would certainly be much blander, that’s for sure.
There are some years whe these flowers are the only things livening up my porch and stairs because I simply don’t have the energy for the more high-maintenance stuff.
But don’t assume that just because they’re easy they must be boring. You can find marigolds that can compete with just about any annual flower in terms of beauty.
Our guide to some of the best marigold cultivars out there can help you find the right one for you – and any variety can do well in a container.
Marigolds are one of the most popular annual flowers grown by home gardeners. Known for their bright and cheerful blooms in shades of yellow, orange, and red, these hardy plants are not only beautiful but also useful thanks to their pest-repelling properties
While marigolds are commonly grown in garden beds and borders, they also make excellent container plants. Their compact size makes them well-suited to pots, window boxes, hanging baskets, and other unique planters With so many options for displaying marigolds in containers, you can easily add a pop of color to patios, porches, balconies, and more.
In this article, we’ll explore 20 creative ways to showcase marigolds in containers around your outdoor living space. Whether you want to highlight their bold hues or blend them with other plants, these ideas will inspire you to use marigolds to enhance your garden design.
Hanging Baskets
A hanging basket overflowing with marigolds is a surefire way to brighten up any outdoor area. For starters, a rustic wicker basket gives a natural look to the marigolds. Hang it from your porch or a tree using a rope, chain, or macrame hanger. You can also plant marigolds in a metal hanging basket painted to match their fiery blooms.
For a unique twist, try growing marigolds in a bottle planter or hanging colander. Suspending the marigolds helps draw attention to their flowers.
Window Boxes and Pots
Another way to spotlight marigolds is by planting them in window boxes, pots, or planters. Choose window boxes in monochrome colors like white, tan, or charcoal and let the marigolds pop against the neutral background. For smaller spaces, use a long wooden planter box on a windowsill to display the flowers to perfection.
Individual pots in materials like terra cotta, concrete, metal, and ceramic also make ideal homes for marigolds. Feel free to get creative with the container shapes and sizes too.
Mix With Other Plants
While marigolds shine on their own, combining them with other plants can create visually striking displays. For maximum impact, plant marigolds with flowers in purple, white, or pink. Popular companion plants include petunias, zinnias, snapdragons, lavender, and dianthus.
Let the marigolds be the focal point by using them as thriller plants among these smaller fillers. You can also include trailing plants like ivy for a cascading effect.
Repurposed Container Gardens
Breathing new life into repurposed objects by turning them into planters is sustainable, economical, and adds heaps of personality. Some fun marigold container ideas include old wagons, watering cans, barrels, crates, tires, and even bathtubs! Paint these recycled containers in a complementary color to let the marigolds pop.
Vertical Displays
Think beyond tabletop pots by creating vertical marigold displays. For example, attach a pallet or lattice wood panel to a wall or fence. Then set pots of marigolds into the openings. You can also build a wood crate tower to display the marigolds at different heights.
Fun Materials
Mason jars, coffee cans, plastic bottles, and egg cartons transformed into miniature planters are unique ways to showcase marigolds. Paint the surfaces in cheerful colors or use them as-is for an eclectic, rustic effect. The dainty marigolds will look equal parts charming and whimsical.
Complementary Colors
Choose planters in colors that enhance the vibrancy of the marigolds. Contrasting pots in complementary colors like blue and orange or green and red make the flowers pop. For a subtle look, display orange marigolds in terracotta pots or yellow blooms in white containers.
Focal Points
Creating points of interest in your garden helps guide the eye. Use marigold planters as garden focal points, whether as standalone statement pieces or grouped displays. Place containers at garden entrances, near seating areas, or where pathways converge. The visual magnetism of the marigolds will draw attention.
Table Decor
Marigolds aren’t just for outdoor areas—they also liven up indoor spaces! Arrange pots of marigolds as centerpieces on dining tables and coffee tables. For parties, use marigolds as whimsical cake toppers. Their bright presence will lift any room.
DIY Flair
You don’t need fancy planters to grow marigolds. Embrace your crafty side by repurposing everyday items like cups, cans, and cardboard boxes into mini marigold pots. Get the kids involved too. Part of the fun is letting your imagination run wild!
With the right container choice and placement, it’s easy to highlight the beauty of marigolds in your garden design. Be bold and creative with your planters, materials, and displays. Any of these marigold container ideas will add a dramatic punch of color to your patio, porch, balcony, or yard. Just sit back and enjoy their vibrant flower show all season long.
The Best Cultivars for Container Growing
Like we said, any Tagetes species or cultivar will do well in a pot or planter so long as it has enough room to grow. Pick your favorite and have at it.
If you want a marigold that is just a little better suited to container life because of its size or growing requirements, pick one of the following:
‘Moonlight’ is an African marigold (T. erecta), but unlike many other cultivars of this species, it’s fairly compact. It grows to about 14 inches tall.
It’s also notably tolerant of drought once established, so if you forget to water yours one weekend, all will not be lost.
You can purchase a small packet, an ounce, or a quarter-pound of seeds from Eden Brothers to bring a little moonlight to your garden.
This French marigold (T. patula) has bright yellow petals with a dark maroon center, all wrapped up in a petite little package.
This pretty cultivar stays under 14 inches tall with a mounding growth habit that makes it perfect for the edges of a container full of taller plants, or as a focal point all on its own.
Cultivars of this species are also typically regarded as more tolerant of wet conditions than other varieties may be.
Eden Brothers carries small packets, one-ounce, and quarter-pound packages of ‘Naughty Marietta.’
Another single-flowered French marigold, ‘Red Knight’ adapts to its environment. In a pot, it stays a bit more compact at around a foot tall.
The dark red flowers and yellow centers stand out against the deep green leaves.
Choosing the Right Container
These plants don’t have particularly deep or wide-spreading roots, so they don’t need a massive amount of space to survive. That said, a plant with restricted roots won’t grow as large as it would otherwise.
The required container size depends on the size of the plant you’re growing. A miniature French variety (T. patula) will need a lot less room than a massive Mexican marigold (T. erecta), unless you’re growing a dwarf cultivar.
Of course, you’ll also need a larger pot if you wish to grow several plants together.
In general, a single French specimen or even a pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) will be fine in a six-inch container. Each additional plant should have another six inches of space available.
An African or Mexican marigold typically needs at least a 12-inch pot for enough space to grow a single plant, and an additional 12 inches per plant.
The container material isn’t as important as it can sometimes be with other types of plants. These flowers are pretty happy whether they’re in terra cotta, cement, plastic, wood, or glazed clay.
Just keep in mind that terra cotta and wood tend to dry out more quickly, while plastic and cement can crack in cold weather. Learn more about containers and the best materials to choose in our guide.
While Tagetes plants are pretty chill about the type of pot that you put them in, the one thing you can’t skimp on is drainage. Your pot absolutely, positively must have at least one drainage hole.
If the planter is larger than 12 inches across, two or three holes are better.
Regardless of the container you choose, fill it up with a potting-specific mix, such as Fox Farm’s Ocean Forest Potting Soil Mix.
I swear by this stuff for all my potted plants, indoors and out. To pick up a 12-quart bag, pop over to Amazon to find these available singly or in packs of two or four.
Then, you have the option of planting seed or purchased starts. The benefit to planting seedlings is that, while they cost more, they mature and begin to bloom more quickly.
For planting marigold seeds, we have a guide that will walk you through when and how to get the job done.
Plan on putting in twice as many seeds in each pot as you’ll ultimately need, and pluck the weaker seedlings when they’re a few inches tall.
If you’re planting seedlings that you either purchased or started indoors in advance, wait until the last frost date has passed and dig a hole in the soil that’s slightly larger than the size of the seedling cell or nursery pot.
Remove the seedling from its pot, tease apart the roots a bit, and lower it into the hole. Firm around the root ball with fresh potting soil.
Give the plants a good soak so the soil is moist but not wet. Add more soil if necessary so it reaches about a half-inch below the lip of the container.
Place the pot somewhere that it will receive direct sun. If you have a spot next to a brick wall where other plants tend to wilt in the heat, marigolds will be perfectly happy to fill that area for you.
Now, for the easy part: enjoying your flowers. Your biggest job in order to keep them looking their best will be providing moisture.
If you live in a supremely dry and hot area, you probably already know that keeping containers moist is a challenge and a half.
Even though marigolds can tolerate drought, I highly recommend using a container watering system, a self-watering pot, or a water bulb.
You can buy decorative water bulbs for a song and they’ll extend the time between necessary watering. Amazon carries 14-inch glass watering bulbs from Evelots in sets of two or four.
For everyone else, be sure to add water once the top inch or two of soil has dried out.
You won’t need to fertilize for the first month or so after planting since there should already be plenty of nutrients in the potting soil that you used. After six weeks, add a balanced fertilizer diluted by half.
If you really want to make your flowers happy, use a fertilizer formulated for blooming plants.
I like Down to Earth’s Rose & Flower Mix, not only because it’s ideal for growing the biggest blossoms, but because you can use it indoors and out.
Arbico Organics has this gardening staple available in one-, five-, and 15-pound packages.
Marigold Flowers 101: Planting, Care & Harvesting for These Beautiful, Beneficial Pollinators
FAQ
Do marigolds grow well in containers?
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LoveTheGardenhttps://www.lovethegarden.comHow to Grow & Care For Marigold Flowers in 5 Easy StepsFrench Marigolds (Tagetes patula) – are compact plants (up to 40cm tall), great for pots or the fronts of garden beds. … Marigolds can be grown in small to me…
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YouTube · Meaningful Life Homesteadhttps://www.youtube.comA MONEY SAVING guide to potting MARIGOLDS + 5 HIDDEN …May 8, 2021 — beautiful who would not want to walk out and see these beautiful flowers each morning in their garden. number two they’re easy to grow merryolds thri…
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Gardener’s Pathhttps://gardenerspath.comLearn How to Grow Marigolds in Pots and Containers – Gardener’s PathApr 18, 2025 — In general, a single French specimen or even a pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) will be fine in a six-inch container. … An African or Mexican …
Do marigolds like full sun or shade?
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Full Sun is Ideal:Marigolds are considered sun-loving plants, and most varieties thrive in full sun. This means they need at least six hours of direct sunlight each day for optimal growth and blooming.
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Partial Shade Tolerance:While not ideal, marigolds can tolerate some shade, especially in hotter climates where afternoon shade can protect them from excessive heat stress. However, they will produce fewer flowers and may become leggy if they receive too little sunlight.
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Varietal Differences:Some marigold varieties, like certain French marigolds, may be more adaptable to partial shade than others, but even they prefer full sun for best results.
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Signs of Insufficient Light:If marigolds are not receiving enough sunlight, they may exhibit signs such as leggy growth, fewer flowers, and a weaker overall appearance.
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Maintaining Bloom:To ensure marigolds bloom profusely, it’s important to provide them with the appropriate amount of sunlight.
What is the secret to growing marigolds?
- Marigolds thrive in full sun, ideally receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
- While they can tolerate some shade, they will bloom less prolifically in shady conditions.
What pairs well with marigolds in pots?
- Tomatoes: Marigolds help deter whiteflies and nematodes that can harm tomatoes.
- Cucumbers: Marigolds can help keep cucumber beetles away.
- Squash: Marigolds can help deter squash vine borers and other pests.
- Peppers: Marigolds and peppers both thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them good companions.
- Eggplant: Marigolds can help deter aphids and nematodes that can harm eggplants.
- Basil: Marigolds and basil both thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, and marigolds can help deter aphids that can harm basil.