For fiery color and low-maintenance gardening, the many calendula varieties available are hard to beat. Commonly known as pot marigolds, they produce charming daisy flowers that blaze in shades of orange and yellow all summer long.
As well as being perfect additions to your flower bed ideas, they make excellent cut flowers and are commonly used for companion planting in the vegetable patch. The genus Calendula includes 15 species, some of which (including the pot marigold, C. officinalis, and the field marigold, C. arvensis) are native to the Mediterranean; while others are endemic to the Middle East, including Iran, where calendula is much-loved. Tagetes – also referred to as marigolds (including French and African marigolds) – is a different genus.
Pot marigolds are great for companion planting in the vegetable garden because the aromatic foliage repels pests. They attracts beneficial insects (ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies), which lay eggs near aphids, so their larvae can eat them, thus protecting vegetables. Calendula can also attract aphids, in turn luring them away from your edible crops.
16 calendula varieties for every type of garden
Thought to have been introduced here by the Romans, C. officinalis was once used to heal wounds and, being one of the widely available edible plants, was employed to add color to dishes: hence two of its common names pot marigold and poor man’s saffron. Today, it is still used in skincare, and the petals are added to salads and other summer dishes.
Whether you opt for the perfect calendula varieties to use as a bedding plant to fill gaps in borders, or grow it as a cutting garden flower among the best annuals, there are plenty of options to choose from.
1. Calendula officinalis
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 20in (50cm)
The pot marigold has been grown as a herb since ancient times. It has bold tangerine daisy flowers that brighten garden border ideas or the vegetable patch.
Sow direct in mid to late spring, half an inch (1cm) deep, in well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade. Thin seedlings to 12in (30cm) apart. Make sure you water regularly. To maintain flowering for a longer period, either cut the flowers for the vase or deadhead.
You can find Calendula officinalis starter plants at Walmart. A good planting partner is Salvia viridis ‘Blue Monday’.
2. Calendula 'Orange Porcupine'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 18in (45cm)
A blazing-orange marigold with quilled petals, use this hardy annual to fill gaps in borders or enjoy it in terracotta container displays on the patio.
If you're looking for a good planting partner, it's worth considering Linaria maroccana 'Licilia Red'.
3. Calendula 'Crown Orange'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 2ft (60cm)
This crested amber calendula is reminiscent of an anemone dahlia and looks great grown in lines in a vegetable patch as part of your kitchen garden ideas, or used as bedding in borders.
For a bold contrast to its vibrant orange blooms, combine with the nectar-rich dark flowers of Centaurea cyanus ‘Black Ball’.
4. Calendula 'Sunset Buff'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 18in (45cm)
This lovely variety has dusky-apricot petals with raspberry-red undersides and chocolate centers. Suitable as a cutting garden flower, you can sow it direct into borders to fill gaps between roses and perennials.
Combine with the hardy annual Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’, which is also a great option for filling in gaps in your borders.
You can purchase 'Sunset Buff' Calendula seeds from Amazon.
5. Calendula 'Orange Flash'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 2ft (60cm)
A charming calendula that has peach-chamois petals with bronze undersides. It's a great choice if you're searching for the best cottage garden plants, so incorporate it in pretty flower beds or grow it in the vegetable patch as a cut flower.
Combine with the pretty purple flowers of Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’, which is the compact version of this ever popular plant.
You can find Calendula 'Orange Flash' seeds from Amazon.
6. Calendula 'Pink Surprise'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 2ft (60cm)
An apricot-pink marigold that will inject flower beds with sunset warmth all summer long. Alternatively, you can grow these marigolds in pots as part of your container gardening ideas, sowing the seeds direct into terracotta pots to place on the patio or beside the front door.
It looks particularly striking when planted alongside the purple flushed sunflowers of Helianthus annuus ‘Ms Mars’.
7. Calendula ‘Kablouna Yellow’
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 2ft (60cm)
If you're a fan of bright yellow flowers, then you'll want to add this calendula variety to your planting list. It features sun-yellow flowers that have a crested boss, like an anemone dahlia. It can be grown as bedding in borders or as a cut flower in the vegetable patch.
These Calendula 'Calexis Yellow' seeds from Burpee are a similar option. You can find out everything you need to know about growing marigolds from seed in our dedicated guide.
Team with Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Dwarf Sensation White’, or find choose other types of cosmos from our favorites in our dedicated guide.
8. Calendula 'Golden Emperor'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 2ft (60cm)
Featuring generous double canary-yellow flowers, these calendula varieties pair well with other fiery annuals or perennials for a striking garden color scheme.
Alternatively, sow in rows to brighten up the vegetable patch, or combine with the softer yellow blooms of Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Xanthos’ seeds, available from Amazon.
9. Calendula arvensis
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 20in (50cm)
The field marigold is a Mediterranean hardy annual with small golden-yellow daisies. It looks great with ornamental grasses, such as Stipa tenuissima, at the front of the border.
Briza media, also known as quaking grass, is another good planting partner.
10. Calendula 'Oopsy Daisy'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 8in (20cm)
As this is a very short pot marigold, it's ideally suited to growing in small containers and for incorporating into your window box ideas.
It features pretty pale-gold flowers tipped orange, giving a burst of sunshine to your planting scheme, and works well alongside the bright yellow and white flowers of Limnanthes douglasii AGM.
11. Calendula 'Sherbert Fizz'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 18in (45cm)
This good-looking variety of calendula has eye-catching pink-buff petals with bronze-red undersides.
Enjoy it at the front of the border among low perennials or include it in your garden planter ideas on a patio or deck to provide a splash of color to your summer seating area. Complement its red tones by planting it alongside the scarlet flowers of Eschscholzia californica 'Red Chief'.
12. Fiesta Gitana Group AGM
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 12in (30cm)
If you're searching for more compact calendula varieties that will work well in smaller container planting displays, this is a reliable, compact, bushy pot marigold to add to your list.
You can find Calendula 'Fiesta Gitana' seeds at True Leaf Market.
It has double zesty-orange or yellow flowers and makes a brilliant plant for window boxes or patio pots. Team with Tagetes ‘Lemon Gem’ for a pretty effect.
13. Calendula 'Indian prince'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 20in (60cm)
A great pot marigold for the vase, this produces burnt-orange flowers with chocolate centers all summer long, if cut regularly. It can also be grown as an edible flower, with the petals added to salads.
For added drama in your planting scheme, team this beautiful orange variety with the deep purple tones of Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Black Knight’.
14. Calendula 'Snow Princess'
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 20in (60cm)
If you're looking for calendula varieties with a difference, make sure you add this stunning option to your planting list. It's about as close as you can get to a white marigold. This rare ivory pot marigold produces pale-gold buds that open into double lemon-cream flowers with brown or yellow centers, and faint red-tipped fringes.
Highlight those delicate red accents by planting it alongside the crimson blooms of Papaver commutatum ‘Ladybird’ AGM.
15. Calendula ‘Touch of Red Buff’
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 20in (60cm)
If you're a fan of cottage garden ideas, you'll want to find calendula varieties that will suit a pretty, romantic planting scheme. This variety is just the ticket thanks to its superb fawn-pink petals with raspberry-red undersides and fox-brown centers.
Up the romance stakes by teaming it with the nectar-rich pink blooms of Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pink Popsocks’.
16. Calendula ‘Greenheart Orange’ (Greenheart Series)
- Hardiness: all zones
- Height: 20in (60cm)
Particularly useful as a cut flower, this fiery-orange pot marigold has a central boss of green. Sow in patches in borders for bold color, or in rows to cheer the vegetable patch. Try planting it alongside Nicotiana alata ‘Lime Green’.
FAQs
Can you plant all calendula varieties at the same time of year?
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) can be sown under cover in modules or individual pots in early spring (for example in a greenhouse or on a windowsill) and then planted outside in late spring or early summer.
Calendula can also be sown direct into the soil in mid to late spring. A sunny position in well-drained soil is best. Seeds must be sown half an inch (1cm) deep. Thin the seedlings to 12in (30cm) apart, protect them from slugs, and water regularly (especially in hot weather).
Calendula is one of the best annual flowers to grow, but it only lives for one year. However, if sown the previous year or in early spring and then regularly cut for the vase or deadheaded, it will flower for months, sometimes from late spring to mid fall.
It will usually self-sow too, giving you more flowers the following year. Or you could harvest marigold seeds to plant the following spring.
If you want a perennial plant with orange daisy-like flowers, try Echinacea Sombrero Flamenco Orange, Geum ‘Prinses Juliana’, or Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ instead.
