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Legend
- Start Indoors
- Transplant
- Start Outdoors
- Care
- Harvest
- Succession Plant
Calendula : Stock - Virginia 'Spring Sparkle'
This old favorite of grandmothers' garden is often seen where it has self-sown for years, as it is rarely offered by seed companies. Fragrant, easy to grow, quick to bloom, and excellent for garden edging, containers, and as small bulb companions. Pastel-hued flowers with charming tracery and dark-centered eyes. Sow both fall and spring for longer bloom.
Annual; 4-8 in tall
Seed to bloom: 6-8 wks
Bloom Time: Spring to fall
Color: Mix of pastel purple, pink, white
Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Regular, well-drained
Hardiness: HA
Asteraceae Calendula officinalis
This is an example of the timeline you would see based on your growing conditions.
Calendula: Calendula
Stock - Virginia 'Spring Sparkle'
Also known as Pot Marigold, Calendula is an annual with redish, pinkish, orangish, or yellowish creamy blooms. They add sparkle to country-style bouquets and lure visiting summer butterflies. Their edible petals make colorful salad garnishes. Flowers are used as a food color, natural dye, and substitute for saffron. The plant is a prolific self-seeder. The part used is the whole flower, either fresh or dried.
Medicinal: Traditionally used as an anti-inflammatory herb for localized skin problems including insect bites and stings. Reported to activate cellular defense mechanisms. Flowers have MANY other medicinal uses not noted here.
Basics
- Ease of Growing
- Easy
- Grown as
- Annual
- Days to Maturity
- 42-56 (Spring/Summer)
- Growing Habit
- -
- Hardiness
- Hardy
Calendulas can tolerate light frost and will sometimes survive a hard frost or snow.
- Crops
- Spring Transplant, Spring
- Growing Season
- Short, Long
- Cultivar Type
- -
- Growing Conditions
- Cool, Warm
Calendulas tolerate a wide variety of climates but will do best in full sun, well-draining rich soil, and cool temperatures. The plants will often stop blooming in hot weather.
- Outdoor Growing Temp
- 55°F - 85°F
- Min Outdoor Soil Temp
- 60°F
Calendula seeds can be planted as soon as the soil warms up to around 60˚ F.
- Start Indoors
- Yes
- Start Outdoors
- Yes
- Light
- Water
- Moderate
Calendula plants require regular watering but never water so much that the soil becomes soggy.
- Feeder
- Light
Calendula prefers a rich soil but will tolerate poor soils of many types.
- Suitability
- Tolerates light frost, Partial shade
- Small Gardens?
- Yes
- Containers?
- Yes
Sometimes known as “pot marigold,” calendula is easily grown in pots on the doorstep or in window boxes.
- Attracts beneficial insects?
- Yes
- Color
- Apricot with Pink
- Fruit Size
- - "
- Plant Height
- 18.0 - 24.0"
- Plant Diameter
- 12.0 - 18.0"
- Hardiness Zone
- 2-11
- Disease Resistance
- -
- Taste Profile
Dried Calendula can be used as a Saffron substitute. It is tangy and slightly bitter. It's mostly used for its bright colors because it doesn't have a lot of flavor.
- Rotation Group
- Flowers
Last Frost Date (LFD) refers to the approximate date of the last killing frost of spring.
Example first frost date on April 08.
First Frost Date (FFD) refers to the approximate date of the first killing frost of winter.
Example first frost date on November 01.
