Why Everyone Should Grow Calendula In Their Gardens

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Ever heard of Calendula?

This amazing flower is a must-have for every garden.

Learn why growing Calendula can bring beauty and benefits to your garden.

Curious to know more?

Let’s explore!

Reasons to Grow Calendula

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1. Gorgeous Cut Flowers

Calendula blooms come in vivid shades of orange and yellow. They don’t just beautify your garden but also make stunning floral arrangements for your home. These flowers can be used in garlands, placed in vases, or even as decorative pieces in various creative ways.

2. Extended Bloom Period

Calendula flowers stay vibrant and blooming for an impressive period, predominantly during the summer and fall. Their long-lasting presence not only adds continuous color to your garden but also supports wildlife by providing a steady supply of nectar.

3. Bringing in Beneficial Insects

These bright flowers are a magnet for pollinators like bees and butterflies. The extended blooming period ensures that your garden becomes a thriving ecosystem, benefiting from the increased activity of these helpful insects.

4. Create Your Own Natural Dye

If you enjoy experimenting with natural colors, calendula flowers can provide a lovely yellow dye. This dye can be a substitute for saffron in cooking or used to color fabrics naturally. You can even incorporate it into your hair care routine for a golden hue.

5. Great Companion Plant

Calendula is beneficial to have around your garden as it attracts both pollinators and predatory insects. It’s particularly helpful for tomato plants by drawing pests away. Additionally, it can act as living mulch, protecting the soil with its dense growth and deep roots.

6. A Natural Weather Indicator

Calendula can help you predict the weather. Their blooms tend to close in humid conditions, indicating possible rain. This can be a fun and natural way to keep an eye on upcoming weather changes.

7. Enhance Your Compost

Adding calendula leaves and flowers to your compost can enrich it significantly. Calendula also acts as a compost activator, speeding up the composting process and making it easier to maintain a nutrient-rich garden.

8. Free Herbal Treatments

Historically, calendula has been used for its medicinal properties. The petals are known for their anti-inflammatory and healing benefits, making them useful for skin care and internal detoxification.

9. DIY Natural Skincare

Calendula can be a fantastic addition to your DIY cosmetics. The oils and extracts can be used to make creams, lotions, balms, and soaps, providing calming and rejuvenating effects. Growing calendula can help you create your own organic skincare products.

10. Enjoy in Meals

Calendula petals are edible with a slight tangy and peppery taste. They can be used fresh or dried to enhance salads, soups, stews, and even desserts. Besides their flavor, they add a nutritious element to any dish.

These subsections cover various compelling reasons to grow calendula in your garden, ranging from aesthetic benefits to practical uses in the kitchen and compost pile.

Where To Plant Calendula

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Calendula is quite a hardy plant, making it versatile for many settings. You can grow them in containers or plant them directly in flower beds, borders, or as companions in your garden. They fit well with various garden designs but are especially charming in cottage-style gardens.

Choose a sunny spot where your calendulas will get about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily. One of the best things about calendulas is their ability to thrive in different soil types. They produce vibrant flowers even in less fertile soils. Ideally, opt for loamy soils with a pH between 4.5 and 8.3.

How To Grow Calendula

Before planting, get the soil ready by removing any weeds or debris. Mix in some compost or well-rotted manure to boost the soil’s fertility and improve drainage.

Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged after planting. Once the plants are established, water them deeply once a week. Increase watering frequency during hot and dry periods. Avoid watering from above to prevent foliar diseases.

Adding a layer of organic mulch around the base of the plants helps keep moisture in the soil and controls weed growth.

Weed the area around the plants regularly. Weeds compete with calendula for nutrients and water.

Pinch back the growing tips to make the plants bushier. Regularly remove spent flowers to keep the blooms coming and prevent the plants from self-seeding.

Dishes and More With Calendula

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1. Flower Cupcakes

Instead of using plain decorations for cupcakes, why not adorn them with real flowers? These cupcakes will resemble tiny, edible gardens. You can also incorporate calendula flowers straight into the batter for a unique flavor.

2. Cheerful Soup

Brighten someone’s day with a bowl of cheerful soup! Calendula flowers add a vibrant touch, making your dish look inviting.

Ingredients:

  • Butternut squash
  • Homemade beef stock (or chicken/vegetable stock)
  • Large yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • Handful of dried calendula petals
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Lemon to taste

Instructions:

  1. Cook butternut squash until tender, then blend with a cup of stock.
  2. Sauté chopped onion with seasonings. Add petals and more stock; boil briefly.
  3. Combine blended squash and onion mixture. Add lemon juice and minced garlic.
  4. Reheat and serve.

3. Flower Tea

Calendula petals can be used to brew a tasty and medicinal tea. This tea can be sipped or used topically. It’s beneficial for people and pets but remember to patch-test due to possible allergies.

4. Vibrant Salads

Spruce up your salads by adding cheerful yellow petals. They bring a pop of color without altering the taste much, making any salad more appealing.

5. Hair Rinse With Calendula

For natural hair care, try a calendula hair rinse. It’s great for balancing oily or dry hair and enhances golden tones in lighter hair. Plus, you’ll save money on conditioner!

6. Homemade Soap

If you have some free time, try crafting your own calendula soap. When added to cold-process soap, calendula retains its color and benefits. There are many recipes to explore.

7. Natural Lip Balm

Ditch store-bought lip balm for a homemade, nourishing version with calendula. It’s simple to make and free of harmful ingredients.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz grated beeswax
  • 7 oz calendula-infused almond oil
  • 10 drops lavender essential oil

Equipment:

  • Spatula
  • Kitchen scale
  • Turkey baster
  • Double boiler
  • Glass jar
  • Lip balm tubes
  • Small container
  • Labels

Instructions:

  1. Assemble your equipment and ingredients in a well-lit workspace.
  2. Measure beeswax and calendula oil using a kitchen scale.
  3. Melt ingredients in a double boiler.
  4. Add essential oil after removing from heat.
  5. Use a turkey baster to fill lip balm tubes.
  6. Cap and clean tubes, then label them.
  7. Your lip balm is ready with a shelf life of one year!

8. DIY Facial Toner

Make a cost-effective facial toner at home using calendula. Steep dried calendula in distilled water and add aloe juice. This toner is hydrating, slightly astringent, and helps skin healing.

9. Exfoliating Sugar Scrub

Create a rejuvenating sugar scrub with calendula. This exfoliating treatment will leave your skin smooth and radiant. It’s easy to make and a wonderful gift idea.

10. Cold-Relief Elixir

With calendula’s numerous health benefits, try making an elixir for relief during colds.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh (or ⅔ cup dried) calendula flowers
  • ⅔ cup dried elderberries
  • ½ cup fresh (or ⅓ cup dried) elderflowers
  • ½ cup fresh (or ⅓ cup dried) rose hips
  • 2 tablespoons fresh (or 1 tablespoon dried) orange peel
  • Brandy
  • Honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh (or 1 teaspoon dried) ginger

Instructions:

  1. Place herbs into a sanitized jar.
  2. Cover herbs with brandy, ensuring they are submerged with 1-2 inches of liquid.
  3. Add honey until the jar is almost full.
  4. Mix to expel any air bubbles.
  5. Label the jar and store in a cool, dark place, shaking regularly for 4-6 weeks.
  6. Strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth.
  7. Use 2-3 tablespoons every few hours when sick.

Enjoy experimenting and benefit from the multitude of uses calendula offers!

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