Calendula officinalis (Pot marigold)

Calendula officinalis Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Benner



Be the first to rate this plant

Botanical Name: Calendula officinalis kah-LEND-yew-lah oh-fi-shi-NAH-lis Common Name: Pot marigold Genus: Calendula
Pot marigolds bloom most of the summer, but are intolerant of intense heat and may die out during periods of hot humid weather. Their branching stems are covered with simple, alternate leaves and they produce large flowers in different hues of yellow and orange in the summer.
Noteworthy characteristics: Flowers are edible and look great in a salad.
Care: The flowering season is prolonged when old flower heads are removed. Grow in sun or partial shade and well-drained soil.
Propagation: The seed may be started indoors or planted.
Problems: Infrequent.
Height 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Spread 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Growth Habit Clumps
Growth Pace Fast Grower
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Dry to Medium
Maintenance Moderate
Characteristics Attracts Butterflies; Showy Flowers
Bloom Time Early Fall; Early Summer; Fall; Late Summer; Summer
Flower Color Orange/ Salmon Flower; Yellow Flower
Uses Beds and Borders, Container, Suitable as Annual
Style Herb Garden, Dried Flower, Cottage Garden, Rock Garden
Seasonal Interest Summer Interest
Type Annuals

Plants you might also like

Zinnia elegans Zinnia elegans
(Zinnia)
Be the first to rate this plant

This upright, 30-inch-tall, bushy annual cloaks itself all summer in purple blossoms up to 2 inches across. But more important, it is the forebear of scores of varieties that can be found in almost any place you can buy seeds. There's the Whirligig Series, the California Giants, the Profusion Series, the State Fair Series—the list goes on and on.

no image available Tropaeolum majus 'Alaska Mix'
(Indian cress, Nasturtium)
Be the first to rate this plant

This old-fashioned cultivar of the species has a mounding habit and grows 10-12 inches tall. In summer and early fall, it bears deep red and orange blossoms, which are offset by rounded leaves with white variegation. The leaves and flowers are edible. 

Tropaeolum majus 'Whirlybird Mix' Tropaeolum majus 'Whirlybird Mix'
(Indian cress, Nasturtium)
Be the first to rate this plant

This old-fashioned cultivar of the species has a mounding habit and grows up to 18 inches tall and a foot wide. From summer to frost, it bears blossoms in shades of yellow, red, and orange which are held clear above the foliage.

no image available Tropaeolum majus 'Peach Melba'
(Indian cress, Nasturtium)
Be the first to rate this plant

This old-fashioned cultivar of the species has a mounding habit and grows 9-12 inches tall and wide. In summer and fall it bears creamy-yellow blossoms with orange blotches. The rounded leaves and spurred, five-petaled flowers are edible.

Celosia cristata 'Century' Celosia cristata 'Century'
(Plumed celosia)
Be the first to rate this plant

The flowers of this celosia cluster together in great numbers and look like silky, feathery plumes in vivid hues of yellow, red, magenta, or apricot. The plumes rise above the foliage on 2-foot-tall stalks, which wave their flags of color in the breeze from July to frost.