The Most Beautiful, Cheery Flowers to Grow in a Garden!

Ahh… the most beautiful, cheery flowers to grow in your garden and are so easy to achieve! What if I told you there was an incredibly beautiful flower that could be grown for pennies? In addition, it offers cheery, yellow-orange blooms from early spring through fall. In addition, these flowers are loved by pollinators, a nuisance to pests, are edible, and can tolerate a light frost? Lastly, these magical little blooms can be harvested and dried to be made into healing oils, salves, and lotions for your moisturizing pleasure. Indeed, many might be interested in hearing more about growing these powerful, cheery, and indestructible blooms. Calendula flowers offer a big punch and are perfect to grow in your garden! Keep reading to learn more!

Beautiful Calendula Flowers in History and Folklore

Pot Marigold, Mary Bud, Mary Gold, and Poor Man’s Saffron are the many names for the Calendula plant. Interesting enough, this plant is one of the oldest flowers in cultivation, originating in Southern Europe. Specifically, the flower has been grown for 6 centuries and was very popular in the kitchen gardens of 5th Century France. See my article about Kitchen Gardens HERE. The beautiful, cheery flowers were used for their medicinal properties and consumed in soups and salads in villages for centuries. Likewise, they were also used as dying agents for creams and butters and for dying fabrics.

Folklore around Calendula is abundant and enjoyable to learn. For instance, the meaning of Calendula translates to the Latin word Calendae, which means the first day of the month. Also, Calendula has long been a symbol of sunshine and fire. Oftentimes, in India, the flowers are placed in wedding bouquets to signify passion, fertility, and creativity. In particular, Calendula is used to decorate statues of Indian deities. Crowns and garlands made from Calendula were used during spiritual ceremonies in Rome and Greece.

Fun Facts About cheery Calendula

Calendula symbolizes endurance due to it’s very long growing season.
Interesting enough, the entire plant is edible, tasting spicy like a radish, making it perfect for salads.
Pests do not like calendula and avoid it like the plague!
Plants are widely considered to be Mother Nature’s clock due to its predictable pattern of following the sun.
During nightfall, the calendula closes its petals and reawakens when the sun rises. Hence, it has a strong solar symbolism.
Healers in the middle ages believed the blooms protected them from the plague.
Oftentimes, calendula blooms are found adorning holy statues .
Expect a storm if your calendula is not open first thing in the morning.
The sacral chakra is associated with the calendula plant.
Flower heads are covered in a sticky residue which coats your fingers when harvesting.

How to Grow Cheery Calendula Flowers in Your Garden

Growing Calendula is super easy to start from seed and is actually the recommended method. Once the risk of frost has passed, place the seeds 6 inches or so apart and cover with 1/2 inch of soil. The seeds should germinate in 7-10 days and produce blooms about 6-8 weeks later. Deadheading the blooms (while using the spent blooms) will extend the blooming time throughout the growing season. Certainly, your kitchen garden will be filled with beautiful, cheery, and bright flowers all summer long! In addition, they make beautiful cut flowers to enjoy all season. Interested in reading more garden content? Follow this LINK for more articles.

“Calendula Strengthens the Heart Exceedingly.” Culpepper

Benefits of the Beautiful Calendula Flowers

Calendula has many benefits and many uses. However, for this article, we will focus on the beneficial properties calendula offers for the skin. Follow along as we explore the benefits of Calendula for a natural skincare routine.

Anti-inflammatory – A whopping dose of naturally occurring flavonoids and saponins can reduce redness, irritation, and breakouts of the skin.
Rich in Antioxidants – Calendula is loaded with beneficial compounds that help reduce the effects of free radicals such as UV damage on our skin.
Improves Hydration – Linoleic acid is a fatty acid that is found naturally in calendula and helps seal in moisture for our skin.
Antifungal – Interesting enough, calendula has a sticky medicinal resin on the entire plant. This resin has been found to hold many antifungal properties.
Soothes, Repairs, and Heals – Using calendula products offers such a gift to the skin. Diaper rash calendula cremes have been used for centuries and trusted for the most sensitive of skins.
Wound Care – Without a doubt, the wound healing benefits are very impressive! For example, a research study was conducted about the benefits of Calendula and wound care in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Read more about this important research HERE.

How to Harvest and Use Calendula

Harvesting calendula is actually very easy to do. Specifically, the entire plant is usable, including the blooms, leaves, and stems. In fact, deadheading the blooms is very beneficial, as it sends a signal to the plant to encourage more growth. Keep reading for tips on harvesting.

Pop off the blooms of the plant and place them on a wire rack for drying.
Cut back the stems and blooms while keeping the root system intact. In fact, this method offers benefits late in the season when heat has stressed the plant. Oftentimes, this gives a fresh start to the plant and improves its health going into the cooler months.
Seeds can be harvested late in the season once the blooms transition to the seeding phase. Nevertheless, it’s best to wait until the seeds in the head of the plant have dried completely and turned brown prior to harvesting. In addition, store these seeds in a cool, dry place for use in the next season. Likewise, I like to scatter these seeds in hopes of seeing them in the next growing season. Plants WANT to grow and it is such a surprise to see how many survive the winter and sprout up in the spring!

DIY Calendula Salve

Handmade calendula Salve is something that is always present in my home. This salve offers a variety of uses and comes in handy for many home remedies. For example, the wound healing medicinal properties in calendula are ideal for winter-chapped skin. By keeping small jars of calendula salve around your home, it offers natural skin care at your fingertips! In addition, see the recipe below and make your own calendula salve easily and affordably.

Calendula Salve for Natural Skincare

Try this easy DIY calendula salve for a multiple use skincare.

Prep Time15

Active Time15

Total Time15

Keyword: calendula, cream, natural, salve, skincare

Yield: 10 ounces

Cost: appr $15 per batch

Equipment

Double Boiler DIY pot within a pot.

Materials

1 cup Calendula Oil steep dried calendula blooms in oil of your choice (extra virgin olive oil, jojoba, or almond) for 3-4 weeks and strain. May use purchased Calendula oil as well.
3 tbsp Beeswax Pastilles
2 tbsp Shea Butter
Several drops Essential Oils of your choice A mixture of organic lavender and orange oil is nice.

Instructions

Set up a double boiler system.
Slowly heat the premade or purchased Calendula Oil, Beeswax Pastilles, and Shea Butter in a double boiler. Mixing until completely incorporated.
Add in several drops of your favorite organic essential oils.
Pour mixture into small jars.
Allow to cool completely before applying lids to the jars.
Makes a great moisturizer! Enjoy!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Calendula is the most beautiful, cheery flower to grow in a garden! Specifically, the low maintenance, long growing season, medicinal uses, and benefits to pollinators make it a wonderful addition to your place of beauty. Pick up a seed packet and grow these cheery little flowers for pennies! Surely, they will bring you a lot of happiness this upcoming spring, summer, and even fall! Also, don’t forget to sign up below for my monthly newsletter and learn more about gardening and other things related to health and happiness! In addition, follow me on my social media accounts at Facebook or Instagram. See you in the next blog post!