Calendula
Flowers through the cool months when little else is blooming and self-seeds so freely it often needs no re-sowing. Doubles as a trap crop, luring aphids away from vegetables while its nectar draws in the beneficial insects that eat them.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 25cm
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Mature height
- 40cm
- Flowering season
- May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
- Attracts wildlife
- Bees, Butterflies
- Companion plants
- Tomatoes, Brassicas
- Common diseases
- Powdery mildew
- Common pests
- Aphids, Whitefly
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: March-April and August-September. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: March-April and September. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast and Christchurch / Canterbury: March and September. In Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: September.
Growing stages
Germination & planting
- Sow direct or plant out into a full-sun spot; space plants around 25cm apart
- Once established it self-seeds so freely it often needs no re-sowing
Establishment
- Watch young plants for aphids and whitefly, which calendula helps lure away from nearby vegetables
- Water moderately while establishing; once settled it copes with drier spells better than most cool-season annuals
Vegetative growth
- Doubles as a trap crop, drawing aphids away from companion crops like tomatoes and brassicas
- Powdery mildew can appear on leaves in humid or crowded conditions
Flowering
- Flowers through the cool months when little else is blooming
- Nectar draws in bees, butterflies and the beneficial insects that prey on aphids
- Deadhead some blooms to prolong flowering if a tidier look is wanted
Seed set & end of season
- Self-seeds so freely it often needs no re-sowing the following season
- Leave some spent flower heads in place to let seed drop and self-sow