How to Prune Leaves of Lightly Frosted Marigolds

Marigolds are annual flowering plants that produce many brightly colored blooms all summer long. Depending on the variety, of which there are many, marigolds range in height from 6 inches to 4 feet, with nearly as large a spreading habit. Flowers are prolific and the various varieties sport blooms in shades of yellow, orange, cream, maroon, red and mixed hues. Unfortunately, they die back after fall or winter frost arrives, but if an early frost is very light it's possible to save your plants for a while longer by lightly pruning the damaged foliage.

Things You'll Need

• Clippers

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Snip off all spent flowers and flowers the frost damages. Cut at the base of the stem where flowers grow from the main stem.

   • 2

     Prune leaves that appear wilted or blackened after your first light frost. Snip off as little of the plant as possible to leave enough foliage to help protect it against future frosts.

   • 3

     Cut damaged stems, including leaves and flowers, when they appear wilted, soft or dark colored. Cut back to healthy stem tissue that the frost has not damaged.

   • 4

     Prune damaged leaves and flowers again after each successive frost. This practice will help your plant to survive until harder frosts begin to occur.