Calendula Beauty Mix

Calendula officinalis

Also known as: Pacific Beauty Mix, Pot Marigold, Poor Man’s Saffron


A cheerful mix of semi-double to fully double calendulas in shades of lemon, gold, apricot and deep orange, some with dark centres. Plants grow bushy and upright to 40–60cm, and their long stems make good cut flowers. The petals are edible. Scatter them over salads, use them to colour rice and butter golden (that’s why it’s called poor man’s saffron), or dry them for infused oils and balms. It flowers best in the cooler months and will often self-seed to come back the next year. It’s a good companion in the vegetable garden, drawing bees and hoverflies. Bushy annual — no support needed.

Days to harvest Around 50–60 days from sowing to first flowers
Fruit size Semi-double to double flowers, 5–8cm across
Sowing depth 6–12mm. The seed germinates best in darkness, so firm the soil over it.
Germination 10–14 days at soil temperature around 18–21°C
Spacing 20–35cm apart
Aspect Full sun to part shade; any well-drained soil
Frost tolerance Hardy to light frost. Hard frost can damage open flowers.

Growing notes

A sunny spot suits it best, though it copes with part shade. Calendula is easy-going and happy in average soil, and it flowers best in mild weather rather than peak summer heat.

Soil preparation: Ordinary well-drained garden soil is fine. Dig in a little compost, but skip rich feeding. Too much nitrogen gives you leaves at the expense of flowers.

Sowing method: Sow direct or in trays 6–12mm deep and firm the soil well. Keep it evenly moist until seedlings appear, then thin or transplant to their final spacing.

Support: None needed. The bushy plants hold themselves upright.

Containers: A 15–20L pot suits one or two plants. Keep it watered through dry spells.

Watering & feeding: Water at the base when the top of the soil dries out. Powdery mildew can appear in humid weather or late in the season, so keep the leaves dry and give plants room for air to move.

Harvest: Pick flowers once they’re fully open. For drying, pick on a dry morning. Deadhead regularly, since every flower you pick or remove brings on more. To save seed, leave a few of the best heads on the plant until the curled seeds are brown and dry.

Timing: First flowers around 50–60 days from sowing. Flowering continues for months if you keep deadheading.

Key features

  • Semi-double to double blooms in yellow, gold and orange
  • Edible petals for salads, colouring and drying
  • Long stems for cutting
  • Flowers through the cooler months
  • Draws bees, hoverflies and other beneficial insects
  • Often self-seeds to return the following year

Short season tips


In Coonabarabran and similar inland zones, sow from late summer into autumn (February to April) for flowers through winter and spring. Sow again in early spring for a late-spring flush. Flowering slows in the hottest weeks of summer, and a midsummer trim plus a good water usually brings plants back for autumn.

  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Spring

Annual

  • Tomatoes, brassicas, beans, peas, carrots, lettuce, cucurbits
  • Nothing specific recorded


Calendula is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It has grown in kitchen, monastery and cottage gardens for centuries. Its common name, pot marigold, comes from the old habit of adding the petals to the cooking pot to colour and flavour soups and stews. It was also a household plant for salves and dyes. Mixes like this one keep the old colours and the easy-going nature, and gardeners grow them as much for the kitchen and the bees as for the flowers.