Also known as Mexican Tarragon, Sweet Mace, or SpanishTarragon. Edible golden flowers and foliage have an anise flavor, slightly hinted with citrus. Used in gourmet dishes and can be substituted for French tarragon. A tidy upright bush growing up to 24", covered with clusters of golden yellow flowers in late summer. Holds its simple bright flowers for a long time and is beautiful in herb, flower, or container gardens. Zone 8-11.
100 seeds
PLANTING
Tagestes lucida
Annual
Germination: 7-10 days
Germination Temperature: Optimum soil temperatures 70-75ºF.
Seed Planting Depth: Sow on the surface and lightly cover
Starting Indoors: Start indoors 4-8 weeks before the last frost. Provide 70-75ºF soil temperature. Transplant after last frost, space 8-15" apart.
Sowing Outdoors: Starting a week or two before the last frost date into early summer. Sow a few seeds every 8-15", thin to the most robust seedlings, or sow seeds close together, 1 per inch, and when you thin the seedlings transplant them to other places in the garden.
Growth Habit: Upright
Height and Width: 24” x 12-18”
Spacing: 8-15" apart
Light Needs: Full sun
Soil Needs: Average, well-drained
Approximate days to flower from seed: 80-90 days
Uses: Flower beds, containers and planters
Care: Water seedlings regularly until established. Pinch back plants when they are young for a bushier growth habit. Deadhead to prolong blooming. Amend soil with compost before sowing or transplanting or apply liquid fertilizer a few