Calendula (Calendula officinalis) also known as pot marigold is a versatile flower that is easy to grow. Calendula has been used as an edible flower as well as for medicine for centuries. If you want to grow a plant that provides beauty to the garden but can easily come indoors to help brighten a meal or enhance the medicine cabinet calendula is a great choice.
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Know Your Plant Family
This flower is part of the asteraceae family or sunflower family. In my years of gardening, I have discovered that if you learn a little about the plant family it can help you to successfully grow many varieties of plants. Plants in the aster family tend to prefer sandy soil that is rich in nitrogen. They grow best when the temperature is between 45 – 75° F and can thrive with as little as 4 hours of sun. Although more sun will encourage growth.
Growing Conditions
Calendula can thrive in most soil conditions, but water is a key. It doesn’t want to get too dry or stay wet. A sandy soil that drains is important. It is best to start them directly in the garden or container in early spring. The seeds have a natural germination inhibitor which means that any seeds that drop in the fall will not sprout until spring.
If you are growing in rows space the plants 6 inches apart, but if you are doing intensive type planting you can do 6 – 9 seeds within a square foot area. To begin growing place the seeds about a quarter inch below the soil level. Keep the seeds evenly damp until they germinate which can take 5 – 14 days depending on the variety.
Some of the varieties include:
- Calypso – good for containers, has double blooms on dense plants.
- Pacific Beauty – a heat tolerant variety with yellow and orange blooms
- Porcupine – spiky bright orange blooms
- Touch of Red – blooms are a mixture of red and orange.
- Triangle Flashback – softer with an apricot pink color.
Harvesting Calendula
Once the blooms start opening cut about one third of them back and the plant will create new growth. Pick about every three days to prolong the flowering season. Once the flowers start to go to seed the plant will stop flowering.
Calendula doesn’t suffer from many pest problems. When you are picking flowers check the underside of the leaves for aphids or whiteflies. It may also get powdery mildew, this tends to occur because of too much watering from above.
Calendula is fairly hardy; it can handle frost. When the season starts to cool off allow the blooms to start seeding. The mature seeds can be scattered in the garden for new flowers in the next season.
History
The genus calendula is derived from the Latin word calendae which means calendar. Some believe this refers to the long blooming season or that in temperate climates it can bloom every month of the year.
Many varieties of calendula are native to the Canary Islands and through the Mediterranean. They were found growing in the Holy Land by crusaders who brought them back to Europe. One legend says that St. Hildegard of Bingen named them “Mary’s gold” to honor the Virgin Mary.
