How to Plant and Grow Calendula

The bright and cheerful calendula (Calendula officinalis) is sometimes called a pot marigold, common marigold, or Scotch marigold, but the easy-going annual isn’t, in fact, a true marigold. The foliage of the calendula plant is fuzzy, green, and aromatic while the edible (single or double) daisy-like flowers come in creamy or bright yellow, orange—and occasionally even pale pink.

Plant calendula in early spring to enjoy its cheerful flowers from late spring until the heat of summer sets in. As your calendula flowers wane, crown-like seed heads will appear and fade from green to brown before dropping to self-seed. In regions with moderate summers, some calendula varieties will bloom again—sometimes more abundantly—in fall.

Where to Plant Calendula

Native to the Mediterranean, calendulas look right at home in almost any garden or container. In hardiness zones 9-11, calendula can be grown as a perennial, but in other regions, it is grown primarily as an annual.

Add calendula to a cottage garden, meadow garden, Mediterranean garden, cut flower garden, or even a coastal garden if you live in a moderate climate. Many gardeners like to line their walkways and garden beds with the chrysanthemum-like blooms or add them to the edge of vegetable and herb gardens to deter hungry critters. The blossoms of calendula plants draw in helpful pollinators, but the scent of their foliage tends to drive deer and rabbits away.

How and When to Plant Calendula

You can start calendula seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost or sow the seeds—which resemble little c-shaped worms—directly in your garden just after the last frost. To sow your seeds directly in the ground, create a furrow in the soil about 1/2 inch deep and gently press your seeds along the furrow about 4 to 6 inches apart. If you like, you can plant extra seeds. Just be sure to thin out the less productive sprouts as they emerge. Cover the furrow with a thin layer of soil or compost and water thoroughly. Keep the soil consistently moist, but not wet until the seeds begin to germinate (about 7 to 14 days). Choose the most viable seedlings and thin out the rest until your plants are about 8 to 16 inches apart. You can also make successive plantings every few weeks to produce a continuous supply of flowers from summer to late fall. 

Plant seedlings or purchased transplants in the ground after the danger of frost has passed. Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball and loosen the seedling’s roots before placing the plant in the center of the hole. Fill in around the roots of your seedling with the displaced dirt and tamp down the soil to remove air pockets. Water your plant thoroughly. If you are planting more than one calendula plant, place each seedling approximately 8 to 16 inches apart.

Calendula Care Tips

Calendulas are easy to grow and make cheerful additions to almost any garden space with well-drained soil and lots of gentle sun. They can also trap pests and drive away hungry deer and rabbits—a useful trait if you are trying to protect a precious vegetable or herb garden.

Light

To maximize blooming, plant your calendulas in full sun. However, if you live in an area with very hot summers—or in warmer climates where calendula can be grown as a hardy perennial (zones 9-11)—your plants may welcome a few hours of afternoon shade.

Soil and Water

Calendulas enjoy fertile, well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly acidic (ideally, with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0). Dense, clay, and wet soils are likely to cause root rot.

Calendulas are moderately drought-tolerant but need consistently moist (not wet) soil to thrive—especially when they are young. To produce the most blooms, water your newly planted calendulas frequently until they are established. After that, give your plants about 1 to 2 inches of water weekly and adjust accordingly if you have a lot of rainfall or especially dry weather.

Temperature and Humidity

Calendulas prefer mild sunny weather with temperatures between 60 and 80° Fahrenheit but don’t like very hot or very cold climates. When summer temps rise above 85, your calendulas won’t die, but they are likely to stop blooming—at least until cooler fall temperatures arrive. You can prolong the summer blooming season by planting your calendula in an area with protection from the high afternoon sun. Frost will kill calendulas but—if the seed pods are not deadheaded or harvested—the plants may self-seed and return the following spring when conditions are favorable.

High humidity increases the chance of root rot or fungal disease in calendulas. To prevent this from happening, give each of your calendula plants ample air circulation by planting them at least 8 to 16 inches apart.

Fertilizer

Calendulas need little to no fertilizer to thrive—especially when they are planted in fertile, well-draining soil. That said, if your soil conditions are poor, your calendulas may benefit from a dose of diluted, water-soluble, balanced fertilizer at the beginning of the bloom season. Feed your plants sparingly, though, as overfertilization causes calendulas to bloom less and grow bushier.

Pruning

As your young calendula plants are developing, you can encourage compact, bushy growth, by pinching back the long stems. When the plants are several inches tall (but not yet flowering), grasp the center stem between your thumb and forefinger and pinch until the top of the stem pops off and the remaining stem is even with any side growth.

Deadheading of calendulas isn’t required but doing so regularly will reduce unwanted self-seeding and encourage your plants to produce more flowers before the bloom season ends.

Potting and Repotting

Calendulas grow beautifully in containers and are perfect for brightening up small outdoor spaces or sunny patios. Choose a container that is at least 6 inches in diameter with adequate drainage holes. If you are planting more than one calendula in a single pot, increase the size to allow about 8 to 10 inches between plants. Calendulas do not transport well, so choose a container with enough room for each of your plants to grow to their mature size.

To directly sow your seeds in a pot, fill your chosen container with potting mix and press the seeds about 1/4 inch into the surface of the soil. Cover the seeds, water thoroughly, and keep the soil evenly moist as the seeds germinate. Once the seedlings emerge and are a few inches tall, you can thin them to about 8 to 10 inches apart.

Your container-grown calendulas may need more water than those grown in the ground, so it is wise to check the soil weekly for dryness. You may also need to fertilize your container-grown calendula to encourage lush growth and blooms. Apply a diluted, balanced fertilizer regularly throughout the growing season.

Pests and Problems

Calendula is often planted as a companion plant in gardens because it attracts beneficial bugs (like ladybugs and bees) but repels harmful pests (like tomato worms, asparagus beetles, and nematodes). Calendula does attract aphids and whiteflies, but many gardeners use this to their advantage by planting an abundance of calendulas around their gardens to lure the pests away from their prized vegetables. Slugs and snails are also a common issue for calendulas—especially when the plants are young.

Calendula is also susceptible to fungal diseases like powdery mildew. To prevent this, avoid overhead watering, give your calendula plants plenty of air circulation, and make sure they are getting several hours of sunshine each day.

How to Propagate Calendula

Calendula is easy to grow from seed and often reaches maturity only 6 to 8 weeks after sowing. If you want to maximize the bloom time of your calendulas, start your seeds indoors about 6 weeks before the last frost. Loosely fill a grow tray with a well-draining seed starter mix and create small, evenly spaced 1/2-inch-deep divots in the soil with a pencil tip or your pinky. Place a seed in each hole and cover the seeds with more seed starter mix. Water the seeds thoroughly and place the tray in a warm, bright area that stays about 70°F for approximately 7 to 14 days. Keep the soil consistently moist, but not wet, and thin out the weaker seedlings as they emerge. You can transplant your seedlings to the ground or an outdoor container after the danger of frost has passed. You can also sow the seeds directly in the garden in early spring after the danger of frost has passed.

Types of Calendula

'Sherbet Fizz' Calendula

“Sherbet Fizz” calendula blooms are approximately 2 to 3 inches across and have peachy, buff-colored petals with striking reddish-orange undersides. This variety tends to grow about 24 inches tall in most regions and blooms from late spring until the first frost when protected from the harsh
afternoon sun.

'Touch of Red' Calendula

This stunning calendula cultivar produces cream-colored blooms with crimson undersides and petal tips. The plants typically grow 12 to 14 inches tall with 2-inch blossoms that last all summer long in zones 3-10 if they are given shade from particularly hot days.

'Dwarf Gem' Calendula

'Dwarf Gem’ calendula is a compact variety (10 to 12 inches tall) that bears double yellow, orange, and apricot blooms from June to October in ideal climates. It has a mounding growth habit that makes it great for edging walkways or garden beds.

'Pacific Beauty' Calendula

‘Pacific Beauty’ calendulas offer a blend of golden yellow and orange flowers that are semi-double to fully double and 2 to 3 inches in diameter. They grow well in zones 3-10 and are one of the most heat-tolerant varieties of calendula available.

'Resina' Calendula

The daisy-like Resina blooms appear in radiant shades of gold and orange from spring to fall. It is a hardy perennial in zones 8-10 but can be grown as a short-lived annual in other regions. The plant is quite sticky to the touch because it has a high resin content, which is coveted by herbalists who use its sticky blooms to make infused oils, salves, ointments, and dyes.

Companion Plants for Calendula

Be wary of planting calendula with beans as calendula can stunt the growth of your bean crop. It’s also wise to avoid planting brassicas (like cabbage, broccoli, and kale) nearby as the brassicas tend to inhibit the growth of calendula and overpower it in competition for vital nutrients. That said, some gardeners love planting calendulas with brassicas and beans for the sole purpose of deterring harmful pests from their vegetable crops.

If you want ornamental companions for calendula, try some of these beauties.

Sweet Alyssum

An easy-to-grow, cool-season annual, sweet alyssum is beloved for its abundant white (and occasionally pink or purple) blooms. The tiny blossoms form a carpet atop 4 to 12-inch mounds of foliage in early spring and then again in the fall. Like calendulas, sweet alyssum prefers well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil and full sun—except in places with very hot summers. In areas where the summer sun is hot and harsh, it’s best to plant your sweet alyssum in a place that offers mid-day shade. On the other hand, in mild, but warm climates—like coastal California—sweet alyssum may self-seed and become invasive if not managed.

Stock

Stock flowers are a popular addition to cottage gardens and boxes thanks to their delightfully spicy, clove-like fragrance and tall stems of clustered blossoms. They are hardy in zones 7-10 but are often grown as annuals in the north. Stock plants grow best in full sun or part shade and may benefit from afternoon shade. Like calendulas, stock flowers enjoy rich, moist, well-draining soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH (ideally 6.5 to 7.5). Stock flowers need little care once established, but you can deadhead spent blossoms to encourage a longer bloom season.

Candytuft

If you are looking for an evergreen groundcover that will add some spring and summer interest to the drier areas of your yard, consider candytuft. The perennial (hardy in zones 3-8) gets its name from the sweet white, pink, or purple blossoms that arrive in late spring and—if you are lucky—again in the fall. In cooler climates, candytuft will behave like a hardy perennial, dying back to the ground each winter. In warmer climates, it is more likely to remain evergreen and provide a vibrant, year-round backdrop for neighboring plants.

Marigold

Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) are relatives of calendula. In fact, the two are often confused. Like calendula, African and French marigolds belong to the family Asteraceae and grow in zones 2-11. They also prefer well-draining, fertile soil with a neutral to acidic pH (6.0-7.5). But while calendulas require protection from the harsh summer sun in some areas, marigolds are more tolerant of hot, sunny weather and can be planted in full sun. You can also add levels to your garden beds or borders by pairing your mid-size calendula plants with smaller or larger marigolds. African marigolds—the biggest and most common of the marigolds—can reach heights of 3 to 4 feet tall while French marigolds have a more compact growth habit and tend to grow only 6 to 12 inches tall. Signet marigolds—the smallest of the bunch—average about 6 inches tall and have a mounding habit that makes them ideal as edge plants.