Apricot pink flowers, long flowering period and an unusual colour form of the classic pot marigold
The pot marigold 'Pink Surprise' is one of the most unusual colour forms of the traditional garden calendula. Its semi to fully double blooms appear in warm apricot and salmon pink shades with slightly ruffled petals. This unusual colouring makes the variety a striking eye-catcher in flower beds and a popular cut flower for summer bouquets.
The bushy plants reach about 40 to 60 cm in height and produce new flowers continuously over many weeks. From early summer until autumn fresh buds appear again and again, especially when faded blooms are removed regularly. This makes the variety ideal for flower beds, cottage gardens or natural style plantings.
Pot marigolds are among the oldest garden and medicinal plants in Europe. The botanical name Calendula derives from the Latin word "calendae", the first day of a month, referring to the belief that the plant was almost constantly in flower. As early as the Middle Ages calendula was cultivated in monastery gardens and used for ointments, tinctures and skin care.
Calendula flowers are also widely used in the kitchen. The edible petals can decorate salads, herb butter or desserts. Traditionally the flowers were also used to give dishes a warm yellow colour, which is why they were sometimes called "poor man's saffron".
'Pink Surprise' is also a valuable insect-friendly plant. The flowers provide abundant pollen and nectar and are eagerly visited by bees, bumblebees and hoverflies. At the same time pot marigold is an excellent companion plant in vegetable gardens as it attracts beneficial insects and integrates well into mixed plantings.
Like many calendula varieties, this one belongs to the so called cool flowers. This term describes annual flowers that can be sown at cooler temperatures and tolerate light frost. As a result they can establish early in the season and begin flowering particularly early.
Sowing & Care of Pot Marigold 'Pink Surprise'
Pot marigolds are extremely easy to grow from seed. Direct sowing is usually done from April to June directly into the bed. Alternatively, seeds can be started indoors about four to six weeks before the last frost, allowing the plants to flower earlier.
The seeds are placed about 0.5 to 1 cm deep in loose soil and kept evenly moist. At temperatures of around 15 to 20 °C, they usually germinate within one to two weeks. After emergence, the young plants are thinned to a spacing of about 20 to 30 cm.
Pot marigolds prefer sunny locations and grow in almost any well-drained garden soil. For an especially long flowering period it is advisable to remove faded blooms regularly. This encourages the plants to produce new buds continuously and to flower until the first frost.
Other names
| Botanical name: |
Calendula officinalis |
| French names: |
souci officinal |
| English names: |
pot marigold, calendula |
| Spanish names: |
caléndula |
| Italian names: |
calendula |
| Dutch names: |
goudsbloem |
