The marigold should not be missing in the creative planting plan for the natural flower bed, the rustic cottage garden or the summer balcony. The versatile and talented calendula is also convincing as a cut flower, bee pasture, medicinal and pleasure plant. As if that were not enough, the summer flower provides effective protection in the kitchen garden and promotes the growth of vegetable and fruit plants. Reason enough to delve into the following answers to frequently asked questions about professional cultivation.

The marigold is an attractive medicinal plant for gardens and balconies

Plant marigolds properly

Immigrated to us from the Mediterranean region ages ago, marigolds are not frost hardy. Therefore, only plant the calendula in the bed from the beginning/middle of May. The following brief instructions show you how to do it correctly:

  • Free the garden soil from weeds and loosen it in a sunny to partially shaded location
  • Dig small pits 25 cm apart to enrich the soil with compost and horn shavings (€32.93).
  • Only unpot the young plants after the root balls have been soaked in water
  • Place a marigold in the center of each planting hole and fill up with soil up to the lower pair of leaves

Press the earth with your hands. Finally, water regularly on the day of planting and afterwards to promote rooting.
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care tips

If Calendula is given the following care program, the flowers will thank you for the little effort with a never-ending, romantic bloom:

  • If the surface of the soil dries, water moderately without causing waterlogging
  • Marigolds in the bed do not require additional nutrient supply
  • Fertilize potted flowers every 3-4 weeks from June until the end of the flowering period
  • Regularly cleaning out faded flowers keeps the second bloom going

If you leave a few withered heads on the stem from August, they will turn into bizarrely shaped seeds. Thanks to this prudence, self-sowing is ensured for the next year.

Which location is suitable?

In a sunny to semi-shady location, marigolds bloom tirelessly until well into autumn. The daisy family performs this floral feat in any normal garden soil, as long as it is nutrient-rich, calcareous, permeable and free from waterlogging.
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The right planting distance

While a single marigold with a bed appears lonely and deserted, a picturesque garden picture unfolds in groups. Plant the young calendula 25-30 cm apart in the ground. At this distance you also separate your seedlings outdoors. In balcony boxes and tubs, reduce this distance to 15-20 cm due to the special spatial conditions.

What soil does the plant need?

A common garden soil offers marigolds the best conditions. Look for a nutritious, medium-heavy soil that likes to be chalky and fresh to sandy-dry in texture. In pots and balcony boxes, we recommend commercially available potting soil, which you can optimize with a little sand or perlite (€37.51).

What is the best planting time?

For ready-grown calendula, the departure of the ice saints heralds the beginning of the planting season. Once the cold Sophie has finally said goodbye on May 15, there is usually no longer a threat of ground frost. For the direct sowing of the hardy marigold seeds, however, the time window opens at the end of March/beginning of April.

When is flowering time?

Clean faded flower heads regularly. This creates a well-groomed appearance and ensures that the subsequent calendula buds are not prevented from developing. This effort is rewarded with a never-ending flowering period from May/June to October/November.
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Cut the marigold correctly

To use the marigold as a nostalgic vase decoration or for the romantic Biedermeier bouquet, cut off the most beautiful stems with the flowers that have just opened. If you would like to use the outer petals as a substitute for saffron or as a food decoration, wait a few days so that the calendula can soak up the sun for the full aroma. We also recommend cutting off the faded heads up to the next bud. In this way, you pave the way for more and more new flowers until the first frost.

watering the marigold

A constant water supply is one of the mainstays in the professional care of calendula. Always water your romantic flower beauties when the surface of the soil or substrate has dried. Check the current watering requirement with a thumb test to avoid accidentally causing waterlogging.

Fertilize marigolds properly

Regular fertilizing of marigolds is not absolutely necessary in the cottage garden, the vegetable patch or in borders. Here they are content with what the plant neighbors leave over. If calendula spread their picturesque flower magic in pots or flower boxes, you cannot avoid a regular supply of nutrients. In the pre-fertilized substrate, the reserves are used up within 6 weeks. Therefore, from the end of June/beginning of July, fertilize every 3-4 weeks with a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants.

Diseases

While the marigold stimulates the growth of neighboring ornamental and useful plants, it is not immune to diseases itself. First and foremost, the fungal infection causes mildew on a calendula. If a mealy-grey coating develops on the upper and lower sides of the leaves, cut off all infected parts of the plant. Then treat the flower with a mixture of 1 liter of water and 125 ml of fresh milk (no UHT milk) until no more patina develops on the leaves.

pests

You won't have to worry about pests on calendula. Instead, marigolds repel voracious slugs, aphids, and other vermin from themselves and from plant neighbors. In the ecologically managed hobby garden, knowledgeable gardeners use these summer flowers as a natural protective shield for the valuable decorative and useful plants.

hibernate

Most calendula species are not hardy due to their Mediterranean origin. When temperatures drop below freezing, the flowers die. Thanks to an innovative new breed, you now have hardy marigolds available that bloom almost all year round. The WinterWonders line brings us various varieties that can withstand temperatures down to -15 degrees Celsius. The modern hybrids put on their flower dress as soon as the temperatures exceed the 5 degree mark. Winter protection in the form of leaves and twigs is only required for these floral gems in locations with biting frost.

Propagate marigold

Leave some blooms on your calendula in late summer to harvest the curling seeds in the fall. If that is too tedious for you, you can purchase the inexpensive seed from specialist retailers. You can save yourself time-consuming cultivation behind glass, because direct sowing works like this:

  • From mid-March, plant a finely crumbly seedbed in a sunny location
  • Spread the hardy seeds on top
  • Work in the light germs only very lightly with the rake and spray over them

At 12 to 18 degrees Celsius, germination takes 7 to 14 days. Keep the bed constantly slightly moist and ideally protect it with a fine-meshed net. In the further course, separate the seedlings to a distance of 25 cm.

Marigold in the pot

Sow the seeds directly in the pot and balcony box from April. In this way you save yourself the purchase of early calendula. At the same time, marigolds gain a better footing in the soil in this way. Scatter the seeds on the sand-enriched potting soil. The light germs are then sieved over a maximum of 5 mm with substrate and moistened with a fine shower. Separate the strongest seedlings later to a distance of 15-20 cm. This is how the maintenance proceeds in a regulated way:

  • Water only when the substrate has dried 1-2 cm deep
  • Pour out the coaster after 15 minutes
  • Fertilize every 3-4 weeks from June until the end of the flowering period
  • Clean out the wilted flowers every few days

For the new, hardy Calendula WinterWonders, wrap the jar in bubble wrap before the first frost and place it on a block of wood. The marigolds that are not frost-resistant are either disposed of or relocated to bright, frost-free winter quarters. At temperatures of 8-10 degrees Celsius, water only infrequently and do not administer fertilizer until next spring.

Is Marigold Poisonous?

The marigold is full of valuable ingredients. The medicinal plant of the year 2009 is therefore not poisonous. On the contrary, when prepared as a tea, calendula relieves unpleasant stomach and intestinal problems and, when used as an ointment, heals all kinds of skin diseases. If that is not enough, the flowers can be consumed without hesitation. In the creative kitchen, the colorful ray florets serve as a pretty decoration for cold and warm dishes.

trivia

For centuries, the marigold has served as a reliable weather forecaster for farmers and gardeners. Take a look at the flowers between 6 and 7 in the morning. If these are already wide open, you can look forward to a sunny, dry summer day. If rainy weather threatens, however, the basket flowers remain closed. By the way, calendula are the classics for the age-old guessing game: She loves me, she loves me not.

Beautiful varieties

  • Fiesta Gitana: Large-flowered Calendula officinalis in gorgeous shades of yellow and orange; very beautiful cut flower; 30 cm
  • Neon: Premium strain with double orange flowers topped with a red tip; reaches a majestic 100 cm
  • Spring sun: robust field marigold, which sets the scene with bright yellow flowers in the cottage garden; 50 cm
  • Porcupine: Surprised with orange tubular flowers reminiscent of cactus dahlias; 40-70cm
  • Daisy: Compact Calendula nana with yellow and orange semi-double daisy flowers; with 20 cm ideal for the pot
  • Soft ice cream: Modern look thanks to cream-colored, yellow-lined and lavishly filled flowers; 25-30cm
  • Red Buff: Innovative marigold that flourishes with cream-colored petals with rust-red undersides; 50-60cm
  • WinterWonders Golden Glaze: Sensational, yellow, hardy calendula that can withstand temperatures down to -15 degrees Celsius; 40-50cm
  • WinterWonders Amber Arctic: The orange counterpart to Golden Glaze with double flowers; 40-50cm

Category:

Vegetable garden