Calendula is a flower that everyone should have in their yard, for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it’s beautiful! It’s edible, easy to grow, and readily reseeds itself year after year. It’s also a powerful medicinal, and is one of the top herbs that I would highly recommend everyone have on hand. Here are 10 reasons to grow calendula!
Calendula: A Beneficial Flower
Calendula, scientifically known as Calendula officinalis, is an amazing beneficial plant with bright orange or yellow flowers that can be used for a variety of purposes.
Not only is calendula a beautiful and welcome sight when it grows, it is also edible and a powerful medicinal. I use calendula in many of my herbal preparations because it is full of healing benefits.
Calendula grows readily and is a low maintenance plant. It has many benefits, making it a useful plant that everyone should consider growing in their yard.
Here are 10 reasons to grow calendula in your garden!
Calendula is Easy to Grow
Calendula can grow from seed, and it’s seeds look like tiny curved sliver moons. All you have to do to plant them is spread them around the desired area and lightly cover them with dirt.
Calendula flowers can also be grown in containers and will do well. They are in fact often called “pot marigolds,” but they shouldn’t be confused with regular marigolds.
Calendula will grow easily in almost any climate, and will readily reseed itself and often come back year after year. You never know where they may pop up!
I am always happy to see them no matter where they are, since they are so bright and pretty and also incredibly useful.
I love a plant that doesn’t need a bunch of maintenance, and calendula is so beneficial. Paired with its ease of growth there is really no reason not to grow it!
Calendula Grows in Many Seasons
Calendula grows in cooler temps, in most regions this is early spring and fall. In milder climates, they will even grow and bloom during winter.
I love the sight of the beautiful flowers on any day, and I am so relieved to see their bright faces come early spring. There even have been some mild winters in my region where they have continued to grow, and they are truly a bright spot on a dark winter day!
The main reason it is so wonderful that calendula flowers grow during several seasons is because then they can be used for their beneficial and edible purposes all year!
It eases my mind knowing I can have some drying on a drying screen, some infusing in oil, some to use for cooking, and to also know that more will be growing soon. Like a gift that keeps on giving!
Calendula is Beautiful
Calendula comes in many varieties and colors. I usually do a mix of the orange and yellow, but there are options! No matter which varieties you choose, they are always beautiful.
They add to the look of your landscape, I like to use them to fill in any spaces in my herb garden, or anywhere else in my yard that needs a color pop.
Calendula flowers are beautiful as cut flowers in a vase, or tied with some twine and left on the porch for a friend.
Calendula flowers have also traditionally been used to make a natural yellow dye for food, fabrics, and yarn. How cool is that? So much better than the synthetic stuff.
They can bring cheer with their beauty for sure, but for me they also soothe, knowing they have so many uses and will keep coming back!
Calendula is Good for Bees and Pollinators
With the bee population at risk due to overuse of pesticides and other factors, it is important to make sure we are planting flowers that are supportive of bees and helping them thrive.
Calendula is one of those flowers!
Just when we thought calendula couldn’t get any more amazing!
Yep, bees and pollinators love them!
To learn more about calendula and other flowers that are great for bees, check out my post on 12 Common Flowers to Plant for the Bees.
Calendula is a Permaculture Plant
In the permaculture world, calendula is pretty amazing!
It is a wonderful companion plant to work in sync with your other plants so they will all thrive to their best ability.
Calendula is also considered a “trap crop,” meaning that it attracts some pests like aphids which will keep them off of your other plants.
It can also be used as a cover crop (living mulch), and it looks beautiful while benefiting your soil! It can even be used in a fruit tree guild.
Calendula Flowers are Edible
Calendula flowers are also edible! They have a slightly peppery, almost citrus-like taste that is delicious!
When taken internally, calendula flowers can soothe indigestion and heartburn. Also, they are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antimicrobial, and help boost the immune system.
Calendula is safe for children, but pregnant women should avoid taking it internally.
There are a variety of ways you can use calendula for eating, and my favorites are these calendula thyme shortbread cookies, and this calendula iced tea. Both are delicious and refreshing natural treats.
Calendula is Excellent for Skin Care
Calendula is wonderful for soothing skin! It can aid in benefiting dry skin, cracks, eczema, scrapes, minor burns and sunburns, rashes, chapped lips, and pesky bug bites.
Calendula helps reduce inflammation and promotes wound healing. It may even help with acne, and diaper rashes!
The best way to start using calendula for skin care, is to make calendula infused oil.
Once you have this infused oil made, you can use it to make this calendula cream, and these calendula lotion bars. Both are amazingly soothing and wonderful for dry skin!
This calendula soap (even if you are a beginner soap maker!) is another wonderful way to save and soothe your skin with the powers of calendula.
Some other amazing calendula recipes for the skin are these calendula bath melts and body butter, and this calendula sugar scrub.
Even a simple calendula tea infusion can be highly beneficial for the skin!
Calendula is a Powerful Wound Healer
Calendula is a powerful medicinal that can heal wounds, and is a great alternative to the usual over the counter ointments that people often build resistance to.
Learning to make a basic herbal salve is a great place to start for wound care and for any other topical applications you may need it for. It’s really quite simple, and you can use any herbs you want in this recipe!
Adding calendula is a great way to soothe or heal almost any skin irritation, scratch or wound you may be dealing with.
I recommend using this recipe for calendula salve too for more specific use of calendula so you can hone all of its healing and soothing powers in a topical way.
Since calendula boasts anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and astringent properties it is really the perfect solution for a topical heal-all salve.
Other salve recipes that use calendula infused oil are this diaper rash salve, manuka honey salve, and this super soothing burn salve with plantain and comfrey.
Calendula is Good for the Immune System
Calendula is a safe and wonderful antimicrobial immune booster when taken internally. It has been shown to be effective against flu virus, and removes toxins from the lymphatic system.
This elderberry calendula cold and flu elixir is a wonderful way to use calendula’s benefits to fight viruses and stay healthy.
In my book, Healing Herbal Infusions, there is a recipe for a calendula glycerite immune booster that is also a great way to use calendula’s benefits internally.
Calendula is Safe for Children
Calendula is generally safe to use for children, and its bright happy flowers and funny dried seeds draw children to it naturally!
It’s a great plant to observe with children, as it has a very timely opening for morning and closing in late afternoon.
Calendula can be used for the whole family, including children. Calendula truly is a gentle and soothing flower that is also bright and powerful, and recommended for almost everyone (except for pregnant women).
My favorite children’s recipe to make with calendula is a simple Boo-Boo Balm that can be found in my book, Healing Herbal Infusions.
There is definitely something to the act of using a special all use boo-boo balm on kids owies, but this one also has amazing healing benefits with calendula, lavender, and chamomile flowers.
Boo-Boo balm works as quick relief for minor cuts, scrapes, bruises, bug bites, rashes, and dry skin. It is intended for children, but really can be an all purpose healing salve for the whole family!
If you don’t have access to fresh calendula flowers, you can purchase dried calendula flowers from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Many herbal preparations use quite a bit, and it can sometimes be hard to grow the amount you need. You might also be able to find them in the bulk section of your local natural grocery store.
Basically, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be growing calendula! The more I learn about herbs and their healing benefits, the more excited I get about the amazing possibilities in the natural world.
If you’d like to learn more about herbs, I highly recommend taking a course from The Herbal Academy. I’ve already taken the Intro to Herbs and the Intermediate Course and loved them both!
Beautiful Calendula Recipes
Explore more uses for lovely calendula flowers And, yes, they are even edible!
- 10 Ways to Use Calendula Infused Oil
- Homemade Calendula Lip Balm
- Whipped Body Butter with Calendula
- How to Make Calendula Cream: Homemade Skin Care Recipe
- Calendula Lotion Bars
- Calendula Salve
- Calendula Cream
- Diaper Rash Salve
- Calendula Shortbread Cookies
- Calendula Iced Tea
I totally disagree that they are easy to grow. I planted the seeds many, many times. Most did not germinate and those that did quickly died. Very difficult to grow!
Thanks again for more, very useful content. I really enjoy your posts and almost always read it, unless life happens to intrude.
You are so sweet to share all that you contribute to the world .
Thank you and you’re welcome!
Hi Colleen, I want to double check that a body lotion with calendula in it is safe for pregnant women.
Thanks
Linda
Hi Linda, yes calendula is a safe herb to use topically during pregnancy! You just don’t want to take it internally. It is one of the safest herbs there is, it’s good for babies and small children as well.
sperating little calendula seeds from the chaff now and wonding bout the inner smaller darker seeds. Are they also viable?
Hi Julie, I’m actually not sure, but it wouldn’t hurt to try!
Hello, I have read and reread your article and can’t find the recipe for the calendula infused oil or recipes for the lotion. Do I have to sign into your newsletter to have access to a recipe. I bought the things I need but can’t find the actual recipe.
Thank you for sending it to me as the flowers are ready now for me to proceed. Heather
Hi Heather! You can find the recipe for my calendula lotion bars here.
Hello Colleen ,I have been following your recipes for some time now , my favorite is you calendula cream ,I have made it a number of times and love it, I have psoriasis on my legs mostly for about 8 years now.
I found your calendula cream recipe and thought I would give it a try …it works very well for my psoriasis I have changed some of the essential oils and added other things to your great recipe and have found that my psoriasis is getting much better.
This summer I started growing my own herb and flower garden just for my recipes.
By drying my own calendula this past summer I have this time noticed my calendula cream is the color of cheese whiz lol …all my calendula Flowers were a deep orange so hoping that is the reason of the color..have you ever had that happen??
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes ..
I’m so happy I found your site. I’ll eat any flower, bug ,grass, leaves, dirt, bark that GOD provides for us.
Have you created a book on the benifits of candeula and other wild flower? I’m always looking for new recipes and sources. Please let me know. I’m excited, Hairy Mary!
Hi there! Interesting read as I raise Calendula on my flower farm! It’s an absolutely amazing and beautiful flower. Thanks for posting the use of Calendula. Natural remedies are the best.
Hello! I was wondering if you could use calendula leaves as well as the flowers?
Thanks again Colleen! Q: Can Calendula grow in the south (FL)?
Your article is very interesting. I’m beginning to get interested in natural remedies and it amazes me that what I’ve often thought are ‘weeds’ are really beneficial to us! Thanks for the information!