The Marigold ‘Mexican Passionfruit Scented’ is a wonderfully different marigold that combines bold garden colour with a unique fragrance. Unlike the small bedding marigolds many gardeners know, this variety is a shrubby perennial that produces masses of golden-orange daisy-like flowers from autumn through to spring. That is 8 months of flowers with something that needs little care, is drought tolerant and likes the sun! It is native to Mexico and Central America, where it grows wild on hillsides and is prized for its resilience and beauty. The flowers are rich in nectar and attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

This marigold is loved for its unusual fragrance and its ability to flower in cooler months, when many other plants are quiet. It makes an excellent hedge or background plant in mild climates, adding cheerful colour and perfume to the garden. The dried flowers have also been used in natural dyes and in traditional decorations.

Marigold ‘Mexican Passionfruit Scented’ is a hardy evergreen shrub that can grow up to 1–2 metres tall and wide, forming a bushy mound of green foliage. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, tolerates heat and drought once established, and will flower for many months with minimal care. Light frosts may damage it, but it usually bounces back quickly.

How to Grow From Seed:

Sow seeds in spring in trays or directly into the garden in a warm, sunny spot.

Cover seeds lightly with soil and keep moist until germination, which usually takes 7–14 days.

Thin or transplant seedlings to about 40–50 cm apart to allow space for bushy growth.

Plants will flower in their first year and continue for many seasons if lightly pruned after flowering to maintain shape.

In frost-prone areas, grow in large pots that can be moved to shelter in winter. Or let them go and they will bounce back once frosts have passed.