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Orange and yellow calendula flowers blooming in a garden

Oregon · Washington · Idaho

When to plant calendula

Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 15 – May 3; Spokane Apr 15 – Jun 3; Boise Apr 1 – May 20; Bend May 12 – Jun 30.

Calendula is a hardy annual in the daisy family, grown for cheerful flowers and petals used to color and garnish food and to make skin salves and oils. Despite the nickname, it's a different plant from the Tagetes marigolds sold as bedding plants. Picking the flowers often keeps new ones coming.

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Puts calendula on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.

Difficulty
Easy
Sun
Full sun to light shade
Spacing
10 to 12 inches apart
Planting depth
¼ to ½ inch deep
Frost
Handles light frost
Flowers
Blooms about 45 to 60 days after sowing

Easy orange and yellow flowers, also called pot marigold, that handle cool weather and light frost. In mild west-side gardens they often bloom into winter and reseed themselves. The petals are edible.

Calendula planting dates

TownsPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WAMar 15 – May 3Aug 6–20
Spokane, WAApr 15 – Jun 3Aug 3–17
Boise and Meridian, ID, Astoria, ORApr 1 – May 20Aug 6–20
Bend and Redmond, ORMay 12 – Jun 30—

Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.

Calendula year at a glance

TaskJFMAMJJASOND
PlantMarAprMayAug
Cut flowersAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNov

Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.

How to grow calendula

  1. Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
  2. Plant seeds on your city's dates, ¼ to ½ inch deep, 10 to 12 inches apart.
  3. Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
  4. Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
  5. Harvest: Pick flowers when fully open, every few days, to keep plants blooming. Pull the petals for salads, or dry whole flowers on a screen.

Growing calendula in your part of the Northwest

The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.

West-side valleys

Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon

Calendula blooms from spring through fall and sometimes into winter in mild years. Powdery mildew shows up late in the season.

Coast

Oregon and Washington coast

Calendula thrives in the cool coastal climate and self-seeds freely.

East of the Cascades

Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho

Summer heat stops calendula blooming. Sow in early spring and again in late summer for fall flowers.

High desert and mountain towns

Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon

Calendula blooms through the cool summers and handles light frost.

More calendula varieties

More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.

Resina

Single, orange and yellow · About 55 days

A favorite for growing petals to dry, with many flowers on each plant.

Both sides

Zeolights

Soft apricot with dark center · About 55 days

Peachy, pink-tinged double flowers with a dark eye. Popular for cutting.

Both sides

Pacific Beauty

Tall, double flowers · About 60 days

Long stems with double flowers in orange, yellow and cream. A dependable cut flower.

Both sides

Bon Bon

Dwarf · About 50 days

Compact plants about a foot tall that bloom early. Good in pots and edges.

Both sides

How much to grow

How many to plant

A short row of 10 to 15 plants gives flowers for months.

In the vase

Cut calendula lasts about a week in the vase.

Key numbers

Top care tip: Pick flowers every few days and sow again in late summer for fall blooms.

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

A cool-season flower

Calendula, also called pot marigold, is a fast, cheerful annual in orange, yellow, apricot and cream. Unlike true marigolds, it prefers cool weather and handles light frost, so it can be sown in early spring.

In the mild west-side climate, a late-summer sowing blooms in fall and often keeps going into winter. In hot eastern summers, plants slow down in July and pick up again as nights cool.

Easy from seed

Sow the curved seeds directly ¼ to ½ inch deep. They sprout in a week or two. Thin to 10 to 12 inches apart.

Average soil is fine. Pick flowers often to keep plants blooming. Plants left alone set seed and often come back the next year.

Using the flowers

The petals are edible, with a mild, slightly peppery taste. Sprinkle them in salads or use them to color butter and rice.

Many people dry the flowers for home skin salves. Pick fully open flowers in the morning and dry them on a screen out of the sun.

Good neighbors

Good neighbors

  • Vegetable beds. The flowers feed hoverflies and parasitic wasps.

Pests and problems

What most often goes wrong with calendula in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.

Powdery mildew

Signs: White coating on leaves.

What to do: Pull tired plants and sow again.

Aphids

Signs: Clusters on stems.

What to do: Hose them off.

Saving calendula seed

Will it come true?

Calendula comes true for open-pollinated varieties and often sows itself.

How to save it

Pick the curled seeds once the seed heads turn brown and dry on the plant. Store dry seed in a labeled paper envelope in a cool, dry place.

Common questions about growing calendula

When should I plant calendula in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?

Plant in the garden: Mar 15 – May 3 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 15 – Jun 3 in Spokane, Apr 1 – May 20 in Boise and May 12 – Jun 30 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.

Is calendula the same as marigold?

No. Calendula is sometimes called pot marigold, but it's a different plant from the Tagetes marigolds grown as summer annuals.

When should I sow calendula?

In early spring, and again in late summer for fall flowers. It handles light frost.

Why do my calendula leaves have white powder?

That's powdery mildew, common in late summer. It rarely stops flowering. Pull tired plants and rely on a fresh sowing.

Also on these lists:

See what else to plant in March, April, May or August.

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