All marigolds are fully self fertile but that is not the same as being self pollinating. Marigold flowers (like many plants) have the female and male floral organs within the same compound flower, but in different locations on that flower. Marigold pollen is sticky and positioned in such a way that it requires a pollinator to move it from the male "parts " to the female stigma. Insects do the job...usually bees. Marigolds are entomopyllic flowers...requiring insects.

Marigolds are very attractive to a wide variety of insect pollinators, some of which may go unnoticed by us. In the absence of these insects, the seeds will not be viable unless you and a paint brush take on the role.

Marigold seeds are harvested after the seed head dries. Many collect those heads after they have died but just before they scatter or shatter like all dehiscent flowers will do. They are NOT winter hardy and need to be stored, fully dried, in a dark, coolish location.

Hybrid marigolds are not likely to produce second generation seeds of the same quality as the original plant. I didn't research Lemon Drop for you....you can do that. All I can tell you with certainty is that insects ARE required to transfer pollen from the male to the female parts of each flower. If, for whatever reason, insects are excluded from this job.....

standard old fashioned paper lunch bag ...

find something to spread a bunch of heads on [like a box top] .. place in garage for a month until they are bone dry.. not stacked so they will mildew or mold ...

come around thxgivng.. place in bag.. and put in basement.. and write note on calender to get them out in april and clean them ...

should be able to find a website to show you how ...

lets just say.. 95% of the time.. you will not get the flower you had previously .. so if that specific one is important.. pay the $2 and buy a pack of them ..

ken

ps: most of us can find said bags.. decades later.. still stored in the basement or garage.. lol ... they PROBABLY will make it thru a z5 winter.. just in the garage.. but they might not ...

Just to clarify...they might be stored successfully in the garage but not left out in the garden. :-)

of course.. when left in the garage.. that is when you find out you have mice..

and yes rhiz.. i have never.. or dont recall.. ever seeing rogue seedlings in spring.. in z5 MI ... what i call free range seedlings ...

ken

I have volunteer French marigold seedlings most years but they don't show up until early to mid-summer(and our winter temps dip well below zero). This season I had only a few in my raised bed, but I had spread chipped wood mulch. Last year without mulch I had them popping up all over the bed. Also, this season I just recently spotted a couple in the front "lawn"(really just a small green patch)where I had some planted in a cinder block last season. This area gets mowed by maintenance about twice a month but it's been very dry lately and the grass hasn't grown much so the 'golds were able to rise above the unmowed grass.