Marigiold 'Hero Flame'

Marigolds are staples in the landscaper’s toolbox. They are easily recognized by clients, very durable in a wide range of garden situations, and endowed with a long bloom time. A standout cultivar among marigolds is ‘Hero Flame’, a showy bicolor double of yellow and brick red done in the French style. It also happens to be very short and compact as a garden plant.

‘Hero Flame’ grows only about 8 to 10 inches high and it’s topped with abundant two-inch blooms. In addition, Heroes handle the occasional cold June days very well.

Marigolds make sense for dry gardens where watering may not be reliable, or where a bed gets its moisture only from natural rainfall. They don’t like wet feet but they can handle the soil drying out from time to time. Acidic soil is not a problem either, so they are appropriate for gardens near pine trees or azaleas. ‘Hero Flame’ is a particularly good choice for urban gardens because it is highly tolerant of the chemicals splashed up by passing cars.

Fern-like foliage is fine and delicate, remaining low and dense right to the ground. The plant sits upright in the garden in a neat and tidy manner; it doesn’t reach or ramble like other varieties, making it ideal for structured beds where the design is especially important.

We’ve seen ‘Hero Flame’ paired with salvias: marigolds in the front and salvias in the back. This creates a good, solid mix that works in a wide variety of situations from hot sun to partial shade. We also sell ‘Hero Orange’ which is the same pincushion style of marigold but in a solid orange.

We are shipping both African type and French type marigolds through the summer in 1202 flats, 1203 flats, 1801 flats and 6-inch pots, depending on the cultivar. We sell four different series of marigolds: Janie, Disco, Hero and Antiqua, along with some other unique cultivars.