Calendula: The Ultimate Companion Flower!

If I could grow just one flower in my garden, it would have to: look amazing; be easy to grow; help protect other plants; be edible; and, once I’d planted it, I’d want to keep it going forever!

Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? But there is a flower that fits the bill – an underrated champion that’s one of the secret powerhouses of my garden…

How to Sow Calendula

Calendula, also known as pot marigold, is an annual flower that boasts beauty by the bloom-load. The yellow, orange or sometimes pastel-toned flowers deserve a place in any garden, where they’ll offer a fantastic range of benefits.

The seeds look remarkable too – they remind me of tiny fossils! They’re really easy to handle, which makes sowing them a joy. The easiest way to start off calendula is to sow them where they’re going to grow from early to mid-spring. Calendula thrives in most garden soils, even in relatively poor ones – it’s good drainage rather than high fertility that’s important. It will bloom best in a sunny spot, though it can cope with a little dappled shade.

Rake the soil, then take a pinch of seeds between finger and thumb and scatter them. Gently tickle them in with your rake or a hand fork, press them down, then water them. Keep the soil moist during dry weather to encourage the seedlings along. You may need to remove any excess seedlings to leave them about 10in (25cm) apart.

If you want to get a head start so you have larger plants to set out later in spring – perhaps into containers – then you can also sow calendula seeds into pots or plug trays.

Start by filling a plug tray with an all-purpose potting mix, screened to a fine, crumbly texture. Lightly firm the potting mix down, then sow two of those sensational-looking seeds per plug. Cover them over with a half inch (1cm) of mix, then give them a good drink.

Bring them indoors to germinate at a cozy room temperature. The seedlings can cope with cold temperatures, so they can go straight back out to a greenhouse or cold frame to grow on once they’ve sprouted. Once they’ve filled the plug trays and you can see the roots coming out of the drainage holes at the bottom, they can be planted where they’re needed.

Planting Calendula

I always grow calendula among my vegetables because the flowers are real bug magnets, attracting pollinators like bees that will improve harvests of fruiting and podding crops – everything from beans to tomatoes.

And that’s not all! Calendula can help protect our plants by attracting pest predators that eat common soft-bodied pests such as aphids. One study found that growing calendula among cabbage resulted in fewer problems with not just aphids, but caterpillars too – so it’s worth growing calendula among any cabbage-family crop like collards, cauliflower, broccoli and so on. Research has also found that calendula can help to deter many tomato pests too.

Think of calendula as a sort of insurance policy against calamitous pest invasions. Not only does it lure pests away from crop plants, it also tempts in the likes of ladybugs, lacewings and hoverflies, which will all then quite literally make a meal of them! Wow!

Calendula readily self-seeds, meaning that seeds that fall from the plant often bed down into the soil to sprout and grow the following season. In this way calendula can behave more like a perennial, returning year after year in the same spot. And, if you want, you can always collect mature seed from plants in the summer to scatter elsewhere before lifting tired old plants to the compost heap.

Common Uses of Calendula

Calendula is such a useful plant. Not only does it help guard against pests, you can even use it to make a fantastic, soothing balm for damaged, raw or sunburned skin (suitable even for sensitive skins). I love the idea of making nature-friendly remedies from ingredients grown right in my garden!

To make a soothing calendula oil, simply dry the flowers in the sun, on racks, or in a dehydrator. Once dried, pluck the petals free and pack them into an airtight container before pouring over olive oil to cover them. Leave it to steep for about a month then strain out the petals and store your calendula oil in the dark, somewhere cool.

But the very best bit for me is that the petals are also completely edible, with a very mild peppery tang to them. Steep them in teas, freeze them in ice cubes to perk up drinks, or scatter them over salads to give a stunning centerpiece to the dinner table!

Keep the Flowers Coming

Deadhead calendula regularly by picking off old, withered flowers between your finger and thumb. It only takes a few moments and will promote more blooms, right through to the first frosts.

But, as summer draws to a close, let some of the flowers mature to produce viable seed that will start off the next generation. Some of these seeds will germinate before winter, others in spring, producing a carpet of tiny seedlings that can either be left to grow on where they are, carefully dug up and replanted elsewhere, or even used as an impromptu cover crop to protect the soil over winter before sowing or planting vegetables in spring.

Calendula is just one of many vegetable garden-friendly flowers you can find in our Garden Planner, which you can try out free for 7 days. Once you’ve added calendula to your plan, select it then tap the Companion Planting button to see all the crops that studies have shown it helps. You can check suitable companions for many other plants included in the Garden Planner too. Try it today!

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