Description
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
English Marigold | Pot Marigold
Calendula is a cheerful, easy-to-grow winter and spring flowering annual loved for its bright daisy-like blooms in shades of yellow, gold, apricot, and orange. Fast growing and rewarding, it is perfect for beginner gardeners, children, containers, borders, and cottage gardens.
Both the petals and leaves are edible, making calendula as useful as it is beautiful.
In the Kitchen & Home
The edible petals are used to add colour and flavour to salads, soups, stews, cheeses, and herbal teas. Calendula is also widely used in natural skincare products, creams, and soothing herbal remedies.
In the Garden
Calendula thrives in full sun or light shade and grows well in garden beds, containers, hanging baskets, and vegetable gardens.
- Easy to grow from seed
- Excellent companion plant for vegetables
- Attracts pollinators and beneficial insects
- Perfect for mass plantings and colourful borders
- Regular deadheading encourages more flowers
Cultivation & Care
Sow seeds directly into well-drained soil during autumn once temperatures cool. Keep soil moist during germination and feed lightly once plants begin flowering.
Calendula blooms generously through winter and spring and will often self-seed for the following season.
Uses & Benefits
Calendula has been valued for centuries for its ornamental, culinary, and herbal uses. The flowers are commonly used in soothing skin creams and natural remedies, while the plants also make excellent pollinator-friendly companions in the vegetable garden.
