Pacific Beauty Annual Calendula Flowers Seeds - West Coast Seeds

PRODUCT DETAILS

Calendula officinalis. Semi-double flowers glow in warm apricot, cream, gold, and shades of yellow offering a brilliant range of coloured blooms. Pacific Beauty Mix have long stems, excellent for cutting. Sun or partial shade works well for these bright annual flowers. Tear the edible petals off and sprinkle them over summer meals. Most Calendula varieties require little care once established, so they are a good candidate for xeriscaping. While they may self sow, they are easy to control, so will not become weedy. Deadhead spent flowers for the tidiest look. This blend grows 30-60cm (12-24") tall.

Annual

• Hardy annual
• Semi-double flowers
• Flowers in warm shades
• Long stems for cutting

All About Pacific Beauty Mix

Latin:

Calendula officinalis
Family: Asteraceae

Difficulty:

Easy

Season & Zone

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Timing

Direct sow in early spring when light frost is still a possibility, and continue to sow every two to three weeks until early summer for fall flowers. Calendula is easiest from direct sowing, but can also be started indoors late winter for transplanting once daytime temperatures are steadily above 10°C (50°F). If starting indoors, maintain darkness and a soil temperature of 21°C (70°F) until germination occurs in 6-14 days, and then supply bright light to keep seedlings compact. Or direct sow in early autumn in Zones 8-10.

Starting

Sow seeds 5mm (¼”) deep, and aim for a spacing of 15-45cm (6-18″) between plants.

Growing

Calendula grows easily in any regular garden soil, and thrives in a pH range of 5.5-7.0. Pinch back young plants to encourage bushy growth. Occasional feeding is rewarded, but unnecessary. Keep plants watered, but try to avoid overhead watering as plants are susceptible to mildew. Deadhead regularly to prevent self-sowing.

Companion Planting

Calendula repels a number of bad nematodes in the soil, but may attract slugs. Plant with tomatoes and asparagus.