Calendula Seed ( Annual )

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Calendula, commonly known as Pot Marigold, is one of the most cheerful and versatile flowers in the garden. Producing an abundance of bright golden, yellow, apricot, and orange daisy-like blooms, Calendula provides months of color while offering a remarkable range of ornamental, culinary, medicinal, and pollinator-friendly benefits.

Blooming from spring until frost, Calendula is prized for its ability to thrive in cool weather and continue flowering long after many other annuals have faded. The vibrant blossoms brighten flower beds, borders, containers, cottage gardens, and vegetable gardens while attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

Calendula has been cultivated for centuries as both a garden flower and an herb. The edible petals add brilliant color to salads, soups, rice dishes, baked goods, and herbal teas. Because of its long history of traditional herbal use, Calendula remains one of the most widely grown medicinal flowers in home gardens.

Gardeners also value Calendula as a companion plant. Its colorful flowers help attract pollinators and beneficial insects that support healthy vegetable and herb gardens. The continuous blooms make it an excellent addition to wildlife-friendly and pollinator-focused landscapes.

Uses and Benefits

Produces masses of bright yellow, orange, and gold flowers.
Excellent pollinator plant for bees and butterflies.
Outstanding cut flower for fresh bouquets.
Edible petals add color to salads and culinary dishes.
Popular ingredient in herbal teas.
Historically valued as a medicinal herb.
Useful companion plant for vegetable gardens.
Long blooming season from spring until frost.
Excellent for cottage gardens and herb gardens.
Beautiful in containers and patio planters.
Suitable for dried flower and craft projects.
Easy to grow and rewarding for beginning gardeners.

Hardiness Zones

Calendula is typically grown as an annual in all USDA Zones. In mild winter climates, it may bloom for extended periods and occasionally behave as a short-lived perennial.

Germination Instructions

Sow seeds directly outdoors after danger of severe frost has passed, or start indoors 4-6 weeks before planting out.
Plant seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.
Maintain soil temperatures between 60-70°F (16-21°C).
Keep soil evenly moist during germination.
Seeds typically germinate in 7-14 days.
Thin seedlings to allow good air circulation.
Plants often self-sow and return in favorable locations.

Growing Tips

Plant in full sun to light shade.
Prefers average, well-drained soil.
Deadhead spent flowers regularly to encourage continuous blooming.
Water during extended dry periods.
Excellent for borders, containers, vegetable gardens, and pollinator plantings.
Harvest flowers frequently to promote additional blooms.

Combining vibrant color, edible flowers, pollinator appeal, companion planting benefits, and centuries of traditional use, Calendula is one of the most useful and rewarding flowers a gardener can grow. Its nonstop blooms and easy-care nature make it a favorite for both beginning and experienced gardeners alike.

Our Favorite Calendulas

MON095 Golden Emperor

The Golden Emperor Calendula is an easy-to-grow annual known for its large, fully double, golden-yellow blooms that resemble chrysanthemums. It is a versatile heirloom variety used in ornamental gardening, culinary dishes, and wellness products.
The plant features large, double, golden-yellow flowers, up to 3 inches wide, on tall, sturdy green stalks that can reach up to 24 inches in height.

JB317 Dawn Mix

This is a great Calendula for pots and patio planters. Ultra compact, it grows only 8 inches tall, with multipetalled single 3" daisy, perfect for pot or garden, long bloomer, brilliant morning colors.

TCB037 Fiesta Gitana Mix

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a "black thumb" looking for a win, Fiesta Gitana Mix Calendula is the ultimate garden multitasker. This award-winning dwarf variety packs a punch of Mediterranean sunshine into a compact, low-maintenance frame that fits anywhere from a tiny balcony pot to a sprawling garden border.
Instant Curb Appeal: Unlike leggy traditional varieties, Fiesta Gitana stays tidy and bushy (growing just 8–12 inches tall), exploding with a "fiesta" of double-petaled blooms in brilliant shades of lemon, apricot, and deep orange. The "Unkillable" Bloom: It’s exceptionally hardy. It laughs at poor soil, handles heat with ease, and will keep flowering from early summer right through the first light frosts of autumn.
Beauty That Works for You: It’s not just a pretty face—it’s a "garden doctor." Use the edible petals to brighten up salads and cakes, or harvest them to create your own soothing DIY skin balms and oils.
A Friend to the Earth: These blooms are like neon signs for pollinators. Plant them to invite bees and butterflies to your yard while naturally deterring common garden pests.
Bring home the Fiesta Gitana Mix today and turn your containers and borders into a vibrant, edible, and effortless masterpiece.

JB178 Balls Improved Orange Calendula

These stunning 3" double blooms are a deep orange hue with the classic Calendula aroma, which acts as a natural mosquito repellant. This easy-to-grow annual is lovely as a cut flower or as a garnish. Grows to a height of about 24 inches. From seeds to flower in about 7 weeks.

JB066 Pink Surprise

These lovely flowers are a surprise! They are orange and ruffled with a tinge of pink. Also known as Pot Marigolds, these flowers are well-known kitchen herbs and used in many tasty recipes. These pretty flowers are also great for attracting beneficial insects and repelling unwanted ones.
Pink Surprise has a double flower with pale pink petals colored soft orange on the reverse with a circle of light yellow surrounding the button centers. Grows about 16 inches tall.

BM99 Orange King

Massive, double calendula flowers in a beautiful shade of brilliant orange make this variety a true king of calendulas.
Very large flowered orange with dark brown contrasting eye, popular cut flower, grows 24" tall, blooms in 7 weeks.
Often known as the 'Pot Marigold', a reference to its use in cooking. The edible petals can be used fresh in salads or dried and used to colour cheeses. Often used as a substitute to Saffron for colouring. In Germany it's used in soups and in the middle east in a lot of traditional dishes.

IP025 Geisha Girl Calendula ( Calendula Officinalis )

Sow this beautiful flower seed and forget! It's easy and rewarding to establish in any garden. Notable for its striking double rich orange-red flowers. It has curved petals similar to some chrysanthemum. Geisha Girl has oval foliage that is light green. A common name for Calendula is Pot Marigold.
Calendula flower seed produces a hardy plant. It is happy in most soil conditions. It requires well-drained soil, preferring full sun to semi-shade. Calendula is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. An annual plant growing to about 20 inches tall. For outside flower beds in zones 4-10. Deer resistant as well.

All seed packets listed on this page are in stock and ready to ship.