CALENDULA

Calendula (common name: pot marigold) is a genus of plants that belong to the family Asteraceae. There are about 20 species of plants that come under the genus Calendula. Calendula is herbaceous, in the sense that the leaves and the stem above the level of the soil die at the end of the growing season.

Some species of calendula die in one year (annual). Some other species live more than two years (perennial). The genus is native to the region stretching eastward from Macaronesia (a group of islands in the North Atlantic around the Europe-North Africa region) to Iran, with the whole Mediterranean region in between.

Its common name marigold is likely to owe its origin to the Virgin Mary. Gardening connoisseurs consider the marigold to be one of the best flowers that can be grown in a garden because they are rugged and not at all finicky about where they grow. However, the ideal location for their growth is a sunny place with a soil rich in substances favorable to plant growth and that is well-drained.

Scientific classification

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Asterales

Family

Asteraceae

Tribe

Calenduleae

Genus

Calendula

Facts about Calendula

• Calendula (marigold) grows well in all seasons except in very coldest climates.
• Marigolds propagate by means of seeds.
• Different marigolds have different colors. African marigolds have a color different from the French marigolds.
• Pot marigolds are grown as herbs. Marigolds are thought to be edible and they are used to naturally color salads.
• Marigolds are eaten by certain species of insects and the flowers need to be protected if you are growing them.

Growing tips

• Sow seeds in spring. The seeds germinate easily in sunny and half-sunny locations.
• Maintain a distance of 10 inches between the seeds.
• The plants will begin flowering in June and will continue till late fall/ winter when the frost kills them.
• The seeds ripen in late summer and the scattering of seeds will result in a fresh brood of plants in the spring.