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March 13, 2003
The calendar flower
The “Calendar” flower has many uses and is so incredibly easy to grow, writes Zahrah Nasir
The word ‘annual’, takes on a very full meaning when used in reference to the easily grown, bright and cheerful plant ‘Calendula officinalis’.
Also referred to as ‘Pot Marigold’ or ‘English Marigold’, the supposedly humble Calendula takes its botanical name from the Latin ‘Calens’, ancient Roman for the first of every month, and the term from which our annual calendar is derived. As the name implies, calendulas can be had in flower on the first of every month, not to mention all of the days in between, come sun, rain, snow or whatever else the weather decides to throw at them.
It’s incredible how easy they are to grow. They will grow in any type of soil as long as two important things are kept in consideration: they have to be kept in the sun for at least half the day and given just enough water to survive. Over watering results in lots of growth but not many flowers and, let’s face it, the flowers are what we want more than the leaves.
They can be sown direct in the ground, though they do not mind transplanting so can be started off in trays or pots if you prefer. Seeds, which are of a reasonable size, should be sown just under the surface of the soil and then lightly watered in. Germination is fast and seedlings should emerge within ten days at the most. However, if the seedlings seem a little slow, don’t panic and don’t give up until at least a month has passed. They make excellent pot plants and nurseries often sell them in individual pots, for just this purpose.
The flowers, I will give you a run down on varieties shortly, can last anything from a week to a month depending on the temperature. If you carefully cut off fading blooms then more will quickly grow to take their place. If, like me, you prefer to have seed to increase your stock on an almost never ending basis, then leave the finished bloom in place and this will be followed by a cluster or first green, and then brownish seeds, which are impossible to miss. Gather your seeds when they are fully dry, they will fall into your eager hands at the slightest touch when they are ready but, if you are not fast enough in gathering them, they will scatter themselves where they please and your next crop of calendulas will pop up at will. Personally, I love plants that naturalize so freely.
On the other hand, if you want to store seeds, rather than replant immediately after collecting them, it is a good idea to spread them out on a sheet of newspaper, (preferably ‘Dawn’) and put them in the sun for a few hours each day, taking them inside before sunset, when humidity tends to climb. Completely dry seeds should be stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place. Calendula seeds rarely require storing in the fridge, as do some seeds, and such ‘seed saving’ I will explain in a later article.
These colourful flowers brighten up even the most dismal garden and, sadly, are not often given the attention they deserve. Furthermore, they have a ‘hidden’ aspect. As the second part of the flowers botanical name ‘officinalis’ implies, this plant is ‘officially’ recognized as having medicinal properties.
Herbalists make a salve out of the petals and this is very useful for burns, cuts and rashes - including ‘nappy rash’ if you have a baby around. Rubbing a wart with a few petals, at least once or twice a day, is claimed to get rid of the unsightly lump, and a tea made from either fresh or dried petals, is said to be good for stomach problems.
Aside from its medicinal properties, the flower petals are perfectly edible. I enjoy surprising visitors by serving a green salad liberally scattered with calendula petals or some other tasty flower. The petals can also be used in place of expensive saffron to colour rice and other dishes, or can be added to soups and stews, even to raita, biscuits, cakes and icecream.
Anyone whose eyes stray to herbal cosmetics in the stores cannot have failed to notice that a high percentage of skin creams, shampoos and other lotions and potions, contain at least an extract of calendula. I once came across a reference to Pickled calendulas but, at the moment, can’t recall where, or more importantly, how!
A simple recipe for home use is one for Calendula Oil, used in aromatherapy and as a relaxing, skin toning massage. Simply sterilize a jam jar, preferably by placing it in a cool oven and then slowly raising the temperature until it reaches medium / high, making sure that no naked flame touches the jar or the glass will shatter. Let it ‘cook’ for about ten minutes and then, using extreme caution, remove it from the oven and let it stand on a wooden board. Let it cool down, preferably with a dry, clean, cloth thrown over the top, until it can be handled.
Fill the jar to the brim, with freshly harvested calendula heads and then top up with good quality olive oil, poking the blossoms around to make sure that all air is released. Seal the jar, put it in a cupboard and leave it to stand for 4 - 6 weeks, depending on whether it is summer or winter. Then strain the oil off the flowers into another sterilized container and there you have it. Calendula oil. Great stuff!
Those of you who are familiar with this incredibly easy to grow plant, are probably envisaging the common, single orange and yellow varieties and, possibly dismissing them as a waste of time and precious garden space. There are many more varieties to be found.
‘Art shades mixed’ - apricot, orange and cream shades. ‘Pink Surprise’ which speaks for itself, as does ‘Touch of red mixed’. ‘Golden Princess’, yellow with a black centre. ‘Tangerine dream’ and ‘Hen and chickens marigold’, the latter, popular in the Victorian era, having a large, central flower surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones. If this isn’t enough to attract you to grow calendulas then how about the claim that, placing a few blossoms under your pillow at night, ensure prophetic dreams or, if your lover walks on your plants and you don’t strangle him/her for this, and if the plants survive, he/she will remain faithful forever and may even buy you some more calendula seeds somewhere along the line!
Finally, and I add this as an example of how global calendulas are, Bedouins use the leaves as a condiment for clarified butter.
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