Tagetes patula Safari Scarlet | French Marigold

Tagetes Safari Scarlet is a striking and exceptionally floriferous French Marigold with large, semi-double flowers in rich scarlet to mahogany-red tones, beautifully finished with golden-yellow tips.

Part of the popular Safari series, this variety combines impressive flower size with a compact, vigorous and well-branched growth habit. The plants remain approximately 20–25 cm tall, forming dense, rounded mounds covered with colourful flowers throughout the summer.

The flowers can reach approximately 5–6 cm in diameter, making Safari Scarlet particularly impressive for such a compact plant.

Safari Scarlet is an excellent choice for pots, balcony containers, flower beds, borders, path edging and mass plantings.

Plant Information

• Botanical name: Tagetes patula
• Common name: French Marigold
• Series: Safari
• Variety: Safari Scarlet
• Plant type: Annual
• Flower colour: Scarlet to mahogany-red with golden-yellow tips
• Flower type: Large, semi-double flowers
• Flower size: Approx. 5–6 cm
• Growth habit: Compact, vigorous, bushy and well-branched
• Height: Approx. 20–25 cm
• Exposure: Full sun
• Flowering: Summer until frost
• Uses: Pots, containers, flower beds, borders, edging and mass plantings

Spectacular Scarlet & Mahogany Flowers

Safari Scarlet is particularly attractive because of its unusual, warm colour combination.

The large flowers combine deep scarlet and mahogany-orange tones with contrasting golden-yellow tips, creating much more depth than a traditional single-coloured marigold. RHS describes the cultivar as a dwarf French marigold with semi-double mahogany-orange flowers and yellow tips.

The flowers stand beautifully above the dark green foliage, creating a bold display in both containers and garden beds.

Extra-Large Flowers on Compact Plants

One of the characteristics that makes the Safari series special is the combination of large flowers and compact plants.

Safari Scarlet produces flowers approximately 5–6 cm across, while the plant itself remains only around 20–25 cm tall.

This creates an impressive proportion of flower to foliage and makes the variety particularly attractive for places where you want plenty of colour without tall plants.

Compact & Bushy Growth

Safari Scarlet develops a naturally compact, bushy and well-branched habit.

The plants quickly form dense mounds with numerous flowering stems, creating a full appearance without requiring complicated training or pruning.

Its compact size makes it particularly useful for:

Pots • Balcony containers • Window boxes • Border edges • Raised beds • Small gardens • Mass plantings

Excellent for Pots & Containers

Safari Scarlet is an excellent choice for container gardening.

Its compact growth keeps plants neat, while the unusually large flowers provide plenty of visual impact.

The warm scarlet, mahogany and golden tones combine beautifully with yellow, orange, cream, burgundy and dark-leaved plants.

It can be grown alone for a bold block of colour or combined with other compact summer annuals in mixed containers.

Perfect for Borders & Flower Beds

With its low growth habit, Safari Scarlet is ideal for planting along the front of flower beds, pathways and garden borders.

Several plants grown together create a dense carpet of warm summer colour.

The cultivar is also recognized as a good choice for containers, edging and flower borders, and Safari Scarlet has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Long & Abundant Flowering

Safari Scarlet produces flowers generously throughout the summer.

Regularly removing faded flowers helps keep plants tidy and encourages the development of new blooms.

With sufficient sunshine, regular watering and occasional feeding, plants can continue flowering until the first autumn frosts.

Growing from Seed

French Marigolds are among the easiest annual flowers to grow from seed, making Safari Scarlet an excellent choice for beginners as well as experienced gardeners.

For earlier flowering, start the seeds indoors before the last expected spring frost.

Sowing

Sow: 1 seed per plug, cell or small pot.

Place the seed onto moist seed-starting medium and cover lightly with fine growing medium or vermiculite.

Germination

Recommended germination temperature: 21–24°C

Keep the growing medium evenly moist during germination, but avoid excessive waterlogging.

Light is not essential for germination.

Once the seedlings emerge, provide plenty of light and good air circulation to encourage compact, healthy growth.

After Germination

Once established, seedlings can be grown at slightly cooler temperatures.

Provide as much light as possible to encourage strong, compact and well-branched plants.

Avoid keeping the growing medium constantly wet.

Planting Outdoors

Plant outdoors after the danger of frost has passed and the young plants have been gradually acclimatised to outdoor conditions.

Choose a position in: Full sun.

French Marigolds perform best in sunny locations with moderately fertile, well-drained soil.

Watering

Water regularly while young plants establish. Once established, allow the surface of the soil to dry slightly between watering. Plants grown in pots and balcony containers may need more frequent watering during warm summer weather. Avoid keeping the roots permanently waterlogged.

Feeding

Safari Scarlet is easy to maintain and does not require heavy feeding.

Container-grown plants can be given a balanced fertilizer for flowering plants during the growing season.

Avoid excessive nitrogen, which may encourage leafy growth instead of abundant flowering.

Encourage Continuous Flowering

Remove faded flowers regularly to keep plants looking fresh and encourage continued blooming.

RHS also recommends regular deadheading to prolong the flowering period.

Perfect For

Pots • Balcony Containers • Window Boxes • Mixed Containers • Flower Beds • Borders • Path Edging • Raised Beds • Group Plantings • Mass Plantings

Why Grow Safari Scarlet French Marigold?

Large 5–6 cm Flowers • Rich Scarlet & Mahogany Colour • Golden-Yellow Petal Tips • Compact 20–25 cm Plants • Vigorous & Bushy Growth • Abundant Flowering • Easy to Grow from Seed • Excellent for Pots • Perfect for Borders • Long Summer Flowering • RHS Award of Garden Merit

Tagetes patula Safari Scarlet is an excellent choice for gardeners looking for a compact French Marigold with unusually large and richly coloured flowers. Its combination of deep scarlet-mahogany shades, golden-yellow accents, compact growth and abundant flowering makes Safari Scarlet particularly beautiful for pots, containers, borders and colourful summer flower beds.