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Are you looking for a new flower?
Zeolights Calendulas are a new twist on the medicinal cottage-garden flower. When most people think of calendulas, they imagine the bright yellow and orange flowers that grow in their grandmother's garden.
But this is not your average calendula! Bronzy-orange petals fade to a delicate light pink, artfully contrasting with the yellow base and maroon back.
The edible petals of calendula officinalis can be added to salads and sandwiches for a pretty touch or used as a garnish for your favorite dishes!
Zeolights Calendulas are easy to grow, making them perfect for beginning gardeners.
The calendula is happy in full sun or partial shade - daylength does not matter. They can be planted from seed or transplanted as seedlings after all danger of frost has passed.
They prefer well-drained soil that is kept moist, but not soggy.
These are wonderful in cottage gardens or mixed with cornflowers or poppies!
Calendulas are often referred to as "pot marigolds," which confuses many gardeners and leads them to believe calendulas and marigolds are the same.
In fact, calendulas and marigolds are cousins. They look similar enough that they may be confused by someone who isn't very familiar with either plant, but the two plants really belong to different genera and serve different purposes.
Marigolds (genus: Tagetes) come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Most are bright orange, yellow, or a combination of both.
Marigolds are known for attracting beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps to the garden. They can also help to repel nematodes in the soil.
Calendulas (genus: Calendula) come in an amazing array of colors including pinks, oranges, yellows, reds, purples and even light blues.
Calendula attracts pollinators and beneficial predatory insects, but most importantly it is a valuable trap crop for aphids, which means the aphids will stay off of your vegetable crops.
Both calendula and marigolds are known for being deer and rabbit resistant.
You can grow zeolights calendula easily from seed, but there are some considerations. If you plant the seeds during warm weather, they will not grow well or be very strong. The seeds should be planted outside a few weeks before the last frost.
The second important consideration while growing calendula seeds is that light will impede germination. Cover the seeds with soil to a depth of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to prevent them from getting too much light.
Keep the soil damp and sow seeds every 6 inches. Within a week, the seeds should sprout, at which point the plants will blossom six to eight weeks later.
Calendula blooms make an excellent cut flower, but they do require some care to ensure healthy plants and plentiful blooms all season long.
Calendula flowers can be grown in containers or garden beds in full sun to part shade conditions. In warm regions, flowers last longer in filtered sun or shady areas.
Calendulas are prone to fungal diseases and slugs, so they should have well drained soil and proper air flow to keep them healthy. Organic slug bait or slug traps can be used to protect the plants from damage.
Removing spent blooms from the plant, or deadheading, will encourage the plant to bloom all season.
Southern gardeners may find that calendula stops blooming during the summer heat, but resumes blooming in the fall and into winter. USDA Zone 9-11 may be able to grow calendula as a perennial plant.
Regular pinching back of the plants will encourage bushy growth and prevent tall spikes from forming.
Flowers may be picked and the petals eaten fresh, or they are dried for medicinal uses.
Allow the flower heads to dry on the plant if you wish to save seeds for the following season. Calendula are also known to reseed themselves if you want to allow them to die back naturally at the end of the season.
400mg (~29 seeds)
Organic
