Grow Pot Marigold, or Calendula, for Cool-Season Flowers
Cheerful blossoms for spring and fall
Pot marigolds (Calendula) have bright, pollinator-friendly flowers and a great tolerance of cool temperatures. This makes them a lovely choice for seasonal containers or garden plantings in spring and fall, or even in Deep South winters. Calendula flowers attract butterflies and bees. They're also edible to people, so they can add beauty as a salad garnish or as a tint for cake batter and frosting. These cheerful flowers may remind you of true marigolds in their color and, of course, their coloquial name, but they are of no relation to those plants, which fall in the genus Tagetes.
Common name: Pot marigold
Botanical name: Calendula
Flower: Yellow, orange, white and red are the typical colors of calendula flowers, varying by cultivar. They are daisy-like in shape and may have a single or double row of petals, depending on the variety.
Foliage: Green, two to four inches long, ovate in shape.
Size and habit: Calendula plants generally grow one to two feet tall and wide, with a rounded habit and dense branching and leaves. Pinching pot marigolds back can help create a full habit and more flowers.
How to grow pot marigold: Calendula grow best in the spring and fall in most regions. In USDA Zones 9b, 10 and 11, it can will flower through the winter.
Because of pot marigold's preference for cool weather, plant it in the spring or the fall for seasonal color. It is suitable for container gardening or growing in the ground. Calendula is easy to grow from seed, which can be direct sown or started indoors four to six weeks before the expected last frost.
Pot marigolds prefer full sun, well-drained soil and even watering. Should the plant decline as summer heat arrives, trim it back to within a few inches of the ground, leaving stems with two or three sets of leaves. Keep it watered through dry spells and it may revive to grow and bloom in the fall.
