• 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