Companion FlowersAsteraceae

Calendula.

Cool seasonWarm seasonPollinator magnetEdible flowers

At a glance

The spec sheet.

Indoor start: Optional
Direct sow / out: Apr 15
Germ: 5–10 days
Days to harvest: 50 to bloom
Spacing: 10"
Depth: ¼"
Square-foot: 4 per square
Qty target: 6–10 plants — a beloved pollinator + medicinal + edible triple threat.

Plant

Direct sow or transplant early — calendula is cold-tolerant and blooms from May through frost.

Care

Deadhead for continuous bloom. Full sun. Self-seeds enthusiastically.

Harvest

Petals are edible — dry them for tea, salves, and coloring butter/eggs. Whole flowers dry for arrangements.

Preserve

Dried petals for tea and skin salves. Save seed from open-pollinated types.

Companion planting

Good neighbors

Avoid nearby

Blooms all season and attracts hoverflies, ladybugs, and native bees. Petals are traditional in cooking (poor man's saffron) and skin healing salves.