How to grow Calendula in Australia

Where to plant

Calendula grows best in full sun in well-drained soil, and it copes with poor soil. It is frost hardy and flowers through the cool months; in hot, humid summers plants tire, get powdery mildew and die off, then return from self-sown seed when it cools. Give plants space and an open, sunny spot so air moves between them.

It is not a native. It comes from the Mediterranean and has naturalised in a few places in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania, but only sparingly.

• Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers: sow from March to August for flowers from winter into spring.
• Melbourne: sow from March to September; it suits Melbourne well and reseeds itself.
• Canberra: sow from March to August; it flowers for much of the year and self-seeds freely.
• Hobart: sow from March to April or August to October. It takes frost and flowers through winter in mild spots.
• North Queensland and Darwin: sow in the cooler dry season, May to August.

Choosing a variety

• Single-flowered types have an open centre that bees and hoverflies reach easily.
• Double-flowered and pompom types give fuller blooms for picking.
• Colours range from cream and lemon to apricot and deep orange. Seed is easy to buy and to save.

How to plant

1. Sow seed directly where it is to grow, or in punnets, about 1 cm deep. Cover it well, as the seed germinates best in darkness.
2. Keep the soil moist; seedlings appear in one to two weeks.
3. Thin or plant out seedlings at about 5 to 7 cm tall, spacing them 25 to 40 cm apart.
4. Protect young seedlings from snails and slugs.
5. Mulch lightly once the plants are growing.

Watering and feeding

Water regularly while young, then calendula tolerates dry spells. Water at the base rather than over the leaves, which helps keep mildew down.

It needs no rich feeding in most beds, though an occasional liquid feed in pots or poor soil keeps the flowers coming.

Pruning and care through the year

• Pick or deadhead spent flowers every few days. This keeps the plant flowering for months.
• Towards the end of the season, stop deadheading and let a few flowers set their curled seeds if you want calendula to self-sow.
• Pull out plants covered in powdery mildew at the end of the season; self-sown seedlings will replace them.

Picking flowers and petals

Pick flowers when they are fully open, in the morning once any dew has dried. For eating, pull the petals from the flower head. For drying, spread whole flower heads or petals in a single layer somewhere warm, airy and out of direct sun until they are completely dry and crisp, then store them in an airtight jar away from light.

Picking flowers regularly also counts as deadheading, so the more you pick, the more you get.

Growing in pots

Calendula grows well in a pot or trough at least 20 cm wide and deep with a quality potting mix. Keep it in full sun, water when the top of the mix is dry, and liquid feed every couple of weeks while it is flowering. Compact varieties suit pots best.

Using it

• The petals are edible, with a mild, slightly peppery taste. Scatter them over salads, rice, soups and cakes, or use them to colour butter and cheese.
• Eat only the petals, from plants you have not sprayed. Yates advises that the leaves should not be eaten.
• Dried petals are traditionally infused in oil for homemade skin balms. This page makes no health claims.
• Calendula belongs to the daisy family. People allergic to daisy family plants, such as ragweed, chrysanthemums or marigolds, may react to it. Memorial Sloan Kettering advises against taking calendula by mouth, beyond normal food use, when pregnant or breastfeeding.

Saving seed

Leave a few flower heads to dry on the plant until the curled, crescent-shaped seeds turn brown, then rub them out, dry them for another week and store them in a paper bag. Calendula self-seeds freely, so you may not need to.