Calendula Plant profile
• Scientific name: Calendula officinalis
• 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
Tags:Calendula officinalis, calendula, seed, Garden, Plant, flowers, marigold, culture, orange colors, flowerRelated posts
Filed under Calendula News, Calendula cream, Calendula extract, Calendula flower, Calendula flowers, Calendula gel, Calendula officinalis, Calendula oil, Garden calendar
Tags: calendula, Calendula officinalis, culture, flower, flowers, Garden, marigold, marigold flower, orange colors, Plant, plant profile, Planting, Plants, seed
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