• Growth habit: An upright to rounded cool season annual growing to 18 inches tall and equally wide. The leaves are medium green, elliptic in shape and growing to 6 inches long and 2 inches wide.

• Light: Plant in full sun to lightly shaded locations.

• Water needs: Prefers a moist soil but tolerates short period of drought.

• Feedings: Apply a general garden fertilizer monthly to in ground plantings; every other week to container plantings.

• Propagation: Start from seed.

• Ease of culture: Easy.

• Hardiness: Hardy

• Major problems: Plants are susceptible to nematodes; plant in pest -free soils. Chewing insects and slugs are common feeders.

• Pruning: Trim faded blooms from plantings to keep calendulas attractive and encourage additional buds. Remove declining plants when the hot weather returns and replace with warm season annuals.

• Uses: A colorful traditional annual gardeners can count on for cool season flowers in beds and containers. Buds open November through April producing displays of over 2 inch diameter blossoms in shades of yellow to orange colors often with a dark center; flowers may be single or double depending on the variety. Petals from pesticide-free plantings are edible and sometimes added to salads, soups and rice.

• Florida native: No; native to Europe and North Africa.

TOM MacCUBBIN

Special to the Sentinel

And there we were, gathering the dried curly seeds from the spent flowers, filling the little jar I’d brought outside to overflowing, requiring me to get a half-pint jar to house the wildly abundant cosmos seeds.

“We’ll give them as Christmas gifts!” I said exuberantly, and since then, my son has been industrious, helping me gather seeds from bachelor buttons, onions, and calendula. When I do laundry, I find sunflower seeds in his pockets. They’re the good ones — infrared, a startling and gorgeous almost black-red flower — so I save them.

Calendula and cosmos grow like weeds here in Portland, so it’s easy this month to gather them and sort by color (if any of the flowers are still growing on the plants from which you harvest seeds) and store them in airtight containers. You’ll want a relatively cool place; if you keep them in the fridge, be sure to find a moisture absorber to include in the container. Buy small envelopes or, even better, recycle spice jars and old manila envelopes into homemade wildflower seed packets. Have your kids help you decorate the envelopes. Flower seeds are not just a welcome gift (at least in my house) that will grow into beautiful flowers, but these species are all beneficial to other plants, mostly edible, and attract honeybees. What’s more, you can sneak a little science into your holiday preparation. It’s way better than going to the mall!

One thing led to another, and the group and Drumm decided to try to grow calendula in Sussex House’s greenhouse, then make the petals into a therapeutic ointment for dry skin and other epidermal maladies listed in an herbal recipe book Drumm had picked up at a garage sale. “I thought it would be fun and interesting to make something as a group project,” Drumm said. She ordered the seeds and the project began in March.

By June, calendula plants were growing everywhere outside in the garden. “We planted them and �pop,’” exclaimed Sussex House member Angela Giuliano, of Andover, “Suddenly they were everywhere.” Another member, Ken Wu, also of Andover, said, “We go out and pick the flowers and then we made a jar of the calendula ointment for every one of us. That’s a lot of flowers.”
Deborah Drumm shows her class some calendula in the Sussex House garden.

Preparing the ointment

Once the flowers were ready, Drumm and the members said it was “a work in progress” to come up with a formula that worked to create the salve. Take one was a bit of a disaster, but after that, a formula was created and each member took on a role in the process of cooking the flowers in oil, then adding the wax, which they obtained at the New Jersey State Fair.

“The whole thing has been an amazing experience,” said Sussex House member Theresa Budzinski, of Hamburg. “I think it brought everyone in our group together and we learned a lot about plants which is a lot more interesting than only learning about pharmaceuticals in a group.” Of Drum, she added, “We also have the best teacher in the world.”

Kevin Karpowich, of Sparta, said he joined Drumm’s group at the urging of a friend. “This has been a great learning process,” he said, “Calendula is something I never would have known about had it not been for this group.”

Results

As for results from the ointment, the members can’t sing its praises enough. Giuliano has found relief from eczema that’s affected her for years, as well as dry lips she gets from some medicine she has to take. Wu said it worked “like magic” on a bad case of poison ivy he had on his leg. “It was so itchy and nothing worked. I’d made it worse by scratching, too, then I put the calendula ointment we made on it, and it was better within a few days.”

History

Ironically, part way through the project, one of the members in the group stumbled upon the fact that calendula was the herb of the year. Also known as pot marigold, calendula was chosen by the International Herb Association as the 2008 Herb of the Year. According to the Association, “ to receive this honored title, it has to be outstanding in at least two of the three major categories: medicinal, culinary, or decorative. Calendula’s medicinal history is busy which continues in present times. The petals can be used in the bath, ointments and salves where it contributes anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties which help with external sores, cuts, bruises, burns and rashes.”

The experience

There are still flowers in the Sussex House garden that Drumm’s group is harvesting. “We’ll make one more big batch,” Drumm said, “And now we seem to have everything down pat. This has been a wonderful learning experience for not only the members — about herbs and how they can work — but also for me.” Some of the goals of Sussex House is to teach members how to gather feedback, look at situations themselves, learn skills and make the best choices possible, and then gather support for their choices and carry them out. “This has been a real team building experience,” Drumm said, “Everyone had roles in the process of making the ointment and worked well as a team.”

Calendula got its name because it blooms every new moon. The name “marigold” refers to the Virgin Mary, and the flower is often used in Catholic events that honor her. With a name like marigold, some probably think they can use the annual flowers from their garden. That is probably either French marigold or African marigold and is a totally different species.

For those who like the technical facts, calendula contains these medicinal ingredients: calendulin, beta-carotene and other carotenoids, isoquercitrin, narcissin, rutin, amyrin, lupeol, sterols, and volatile oils. The flowers also contain complex polysaccharides with properties that stimulate immunity.

Calendula can be taken internally or externally. Internally, calendula is especially used for gastrointestinal disorders. It protects the lining of the stomach and intestines by inhibiting the causes of swelling and inflammation, and by limiting the effects of the bacteria associated with gastritis, peptic ulcers, and stomach cancer. Taken orally calendula has been used to sooth stomach ulcers and inflammation. Some report it to be effective in fighting fever, boils, abscesses, and recurrent vomiting.

External uses are related to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities of calendula’s orange petals. These two traits have made this flower a popular treatment for a host of bodily infections. Some feel it is as effective in treating ear infections as some leading prescription drugs. Try using calendula tea to wash eyes suffering from chronic conjunctivitis (pink eye). As an ointment, it will both soothe the inflammation and reduce it by attacking the bacteria causing the swelling. It is also effective in treating other inflammations. These include hemorrhoids, vaginal itching caused by menopausal tissue changes, insect bites, diaper rash, acne, burns, scalds, eczema, and sunburn.

By using this herb on infections, healing is more pain-free, better, and faster. Cosmetic creams use calendula to lessen the appearance of wrinkles and hydrate skin. Gargling with calendula water or tea may ease the pain of a sore throat.

Calendula is also recommended for use in treating varicose veins, chronic ulcers, capillary engorgement, and congestion. Calendula flowers are edible, and may be added to salads or cooked foods. They can also be dried for use in teas. Calendula adds flavor and color to cereals, rice, and soups.

Calendula may be purchased or prepared as creams, teas, tinctures, infusions, compresses, and washes. To make calendula tea, simply pour about a cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of calendula flowers and let sit for 15 minutes. Calendula tea may be taken 3 times per day. Calendula tincture, which can be taken with water or tea, can be taken 3 times a day (in doses of 1-2 ml). To make calendula tincture, soak a cup of flowers in .5 quarts of rectified alcohol for 5 to 6 weeks. A tincture dose is 5 to 15 drops. To create a calendula salve for external application, boil 1 oz of dried flowers or leaves with 1 oz lard.

Calendula is a very safe herb. The only known reactions are in people with ragweed allergy. Do not use tincture on wounds as the alcohol base will burn the raw tissue. Be sure wounds are cleaned before applying calendula.
Though this article has covered many of the benefits of whole Calendula flowers, more are detailed on our website at More Than Alive. Visit us today and learn how bulk herbs can make a profound impact on your total body health.

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