Annual
How to grow calendula (pot marigolds)
Calendula officinalis
Calendula, the pot marigold, is a hardy annual sown straight into the ground where it is to flower: March to May for flowers from June, or September for plants that overwinter and bloom from May. Give it sun and ordinary, even poor, soil. It differs from most summer annuals in two ways: it flowers best in cool weather, slowing in a hot August, and it stops as soon as it sets seed, so picking or deadheading every few days is what keeps it going.
- Hardiness
- Hardy annual, autumn sowings overwinter
- Position
- Full sun to light shade
- Soil
- Most soils; free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting calendula (pot marigolds)
WhenSow Mar to May or Sep direct; flowers May to Oct
Starting off
Sow direct Mar to May 1 cm deep where it is to flower; germination takes 7 to 14 days at 10 to 15 °C. A Sep sowing overwinters outdoors and flowers from May. No need to start indoors, but a Mar sowing in modules at 15 °C flowers two weeks earlier.
Spacing and planting
Thin or plant to 25 to 30 cm apart; sow 1 cm deep in rows 30 cm apart or broadcast. Fine in a 25 cm pot and useful among vegetables as a pollinator strip.
Varieties worth growing
- 'Indian Prince'
- Deep orange petals with mahogany backs on 60 cm stems; the best one for cutting.
- 'Fiesta Gitana'
- Dwarf at 30 cm, double flowers in orange, yellow and cream; the choice for pots and bed edges.
- 'Snow Princess'
- Pale cream, almost white, with a dark centre; a cooler colour among the oranges.
- 'Sherbet Fizz'
- Buff and apricot petals with red-tipped backs; a soft colour that is popular for cut flowers.
- 'Art Shades'
- Tall mix in apricot, orange and cream, cheap to sow in quantity among vegetables.
Month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do. Autumn-sown plants sit tight.
- February
Nothing to do. Order seed.
- March
Sow direct from the middle of the month, 1 cm deep, or in modules for an earlier start.
- April
Sow again. Thin the first sowing and weed round autumn-sown plants.
- May
Last sowings. Thin to 25 to 30 cm. Autumn-sown plants begin to flower.
- June
Spring sowings start to flower. Pick or deadhead every few days.
- July
Cut straggly plants back by half and water them.
- August
Second flush on plants cut back. Watch for mildew.
- September
Sow direct for next year. Leave a few heads to ripen for seed or to self-sow.
- October
Thin September seedlings to 15 cm. Pull spent plants.
- November
Nothing to do.
- December
Nothing to do.
Feeding calendula (pot marigolds)
Calendula flowers best on poor ground and needs no fertiliser in an ordinary bed. Feed only plants in pots, and very lightly.
Thrives on poor soil, almost no feeding needed.
Feeding plan
Sowing, beds
Nothing
No feed and no fresh manure. On rich soil you get large leaves and few flowers.
Sowing, very poor sandy soil only
50 g/m², the low end of the label, raked in once before sowing: a small handful per square metre.
June to August, pots only, once a month
1 g per litre of water, the label rate, as a drench: 5 g in a 5 litre can. The label allows every two to three weeks; monthly is enough here.
Page handle is calendula rather than pot-marigold, because that is the name most UK gardeners search. No fertiliser is recommended for plants in open ground.
Signs to watch
Huge leaves and sparse flowers
Nitrogen excess from manured ground
No feed; sow on poorer soil next year
Older leaves yellow and plants small on sand
Nitrogen short
One dilute seaweed feed
Pale, stretched plants in shade
Not a nutrient fault
Move to full sun
Pests, diseases and problems
White powdery coating on leaves from late July, plants look tired and grey
Powdery mildew, almost inevitable on older plants in dry weather
Cut plants back by half and water well for clean regrowth, or pull them and rely on a later sowing. Thinning to the full 25 to 30 cm delays it.
Black insects packed on stems and under the flower buds
Black bean aphid
Pinch out badly infested tips or wash them off with a jet of water. Leave a few if you can: calendula draws in the hoverflies and ladybirds that clear aphids from nearby crops.
Seedlings vanish or are grazed to stalks soon after they emerge
Slugs and snails
Sow a little thicker than you need and thin later, keep the ground round the row clear of debris, and go out with a torch on damp evenings.
Pale yellow-green round spots on leaves that turn brown, sometimes with holes
Calendula smut, a leaf fungus that overwinters on plant debris
Pull and bin affected plants, clear all debris at the end of the season, and sow in a different part of the garden next year.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Deadhead every few days to stop seed set, or let the last flush in Sep seed itself for next year's plants. Cut back straggly plants by half in Jul and water for a second flush in Aug to Sep. No staking or winter protection; autumn-sown seedlings survive −5 °C without cover.
Good to knowSelf-seeds freely; deadhead for more blooms. The petals are edible.
Growing in pots
Calendula is easy in a pot. Use a 25 cm pot, about 7 litres, for three plants of a dwarf variety such as 'Fiesta Gitana', or one tall one. Fill it with peat-free multipurpose compost mixed with a fifth of grit and add no fertiliser at sowing. Sow a few seeds direct into the pot in March or April and thin to the strongest. Water when the top 2 cm is dry; plants in pots mildew sooner if they dry out. Deadhead every few days and cut back by half in July for a second flush.
Common questions
When do you sow calendula seeds in the UK?
Sow calendula outdoors from mid March to May, or in September. Spring sowings flower from June; a September sowing overwinters as small plants and flowers from May. Sow 1 cm deep where the plants are to grow and thin to 25 to 30 cm apart.
Does calendula come back every year?
No, calendula is an annual and each plant dies after flowering, but it self-seeds so freely that it usually returns on its own. Leave the last few flower heads of the season to ripen and drop their seed, then thin or move the seedlings in spring. Seedlings from mixed varieties drift back towards plain orange over a few years.
Can you eat calendula flowers?
Yes, the petals of Calendula officinalis are edible and are used fresh in salads or dried to colour rice. Pull the petals from the bitter green base and use only flowers you have grown without sprays. Do not confuse it with French and African marigolds (Tagetes), which are different plants.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.
- Calendula plant guideRHS
- Calendula officinalisRHS
- How to grow calendulaBBC Gardeners' World