Mt. Lemmon Marigold

Name: Mt. Lemmon Marigold
Brand: Outdoor Dream Builders

Tagetes lemmonii

An Arizona mountain native whose fragrant foliage and orange-yellow blooms brighten the garden when little else is flowering.

Hardy in USDA zones 8-11; an evergreen southern-Arizona mountain native that may lose tips to hard frost in the low desert but recovers fast, suited to low and mid elevations.

AMWUA Notes

A moderate-water native that delivers valuable fall and winter color plus aromatic, pest-repellent foliage.

Care Guide

💧Watering

Water every 1-2 weeks in summer; moderate but regular moisture keeps this fast, soft-wooded shrub full and sets up its heavy fall bloom.

✂️Pruning

Shear back by a third to a half in late spring to control its size and prevent legginess, but stop trimming by late summer so flower buds can form for the fall-winter show.

🌱Fertilizing

Little needed; over-rich soil produces rank growth at the expense of form.

🛡️Pests

The pungent, marigold-scented foliage repels most pests, rabbits, and deer.

☀️Seasonal Notes

Evergreen aromatic shrub that saves its main bloom for fall and winter, giving color when most desert plants are dormant; frost may nip the tips in cold snaps.

Soil, Feeding & Propagation

🪨Soil

Average, well-drained soils; tolerant of poor and rocky ground; over-rich soil produces rank growth.

💧Drainage

Needs well-drained soil.

🌱Nutrient Needs

Low feeder.

🌰Propagation

Cuttings or seed; softwood cuttings root readily. It grows fast into a large mound.

📐Spacing

3–4 ft

🌳Roots & Placement

Minimal; a fast, soft-wooded shrub with no invasive roots. Prune by early summer to preserve fall bloom buds.

Placement Tips

•Site near paths and seating where its marigold-scented foliage can be brushed and enjoyed.
•Prize it for off-season color — place where its fall-and-winter bloom fills a dormant-season gap.
•Prune early-summer at the latest; late shearing removes the coming flower buds.
•Full sun; give it space, as it grows quickly into a 3-4 foot mound.