Calendula Seeds — Calendula officinalis

Bring a cheerful splash of orange to your garden with true calendula (Calendula officinalis), grown in our Vancouver Island garden. Also known as pot marigold, this cottage-garden favourite has a long history of traditional herbal use.

Why we love it:

• Bright orange flowers that bring warmth to beds, borders and containers.
• A generous flowering season with regular deadheading.
• A traditional herb-garden favourite with plenty of ornamental appeal.

From our garden: We've noticed aphids gathering on the stems, yet our plants keep flowering with regular deadheading and appear little troubled by them. This is our own garden observation; results may vary.

Growing: Sow directly outdoors in spring in well-drained soil. Choose full sun or light partial shade, and keep the soil moist while seedlings establish. Remove spent flowers regularly to encourage more blooms; leave selected heads to mature if you want to save seed.

About these seeds: Garden-grown Calendula officinalis; cultivar unconfirmed. Seed-grown plants may vary in flower colour and form. The image is a still from a video of our own plants.