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Thursday 21 February 2013

Grow Your Own Calendula


If you're familiar with this blog you'll know that I'm a big fan of Calendula (also known as marigold).  I've grown it in my garden for the last four years and I will be planting it again this year.  Start sowing in March through to May for flowers from June to October.  It's available in shades from yellow to orange, but I always plant the deep orange variety because I love that shade.  If you are growing it for it's medicinal properties, as long as it is Calendula Officinalis I don't think it matters what shade it is.  It is really easy to grow, will tolerate most conditions and produces loads of seeds so that you'll have more than enough to plant next year.


Calendula has a proven history of medicinal and cosmetic properties - reducing inflammation, soothing dry skin conditions like eczema, and promoting wound healing to name a few.  Even if you're not interested in the medicinal and cosmetic uses of calendula grow it anyway for its beautiful, bright and cheery appearance.  Plant it in a pot or in the ground.  Keep pinching off old flower heads to prolong flowering.  If you let just one flower head go to seed that will usually produce upwards of twenty seeds.


Harvest the flower heads when they are in full bloom by pinching them off just below the base of the flower at the top of the stem.  To dry them, I lay tissue paper onto a wire rack and leave the whole flower heads to air dry away from direct sunlight until they are crispy to touch and the petals come away easily when pulled.  I usually remove and store the petals only, but you can store the whole flower head if you like.  You can also use the fresh flowers for cooking.

Here are some ideas about how to use calendula:

  1. Calendula Oil - Fill a glass jar that has a lid with calendula flowers or petals.  Add vegetable oil to cover (olive, sweet almond, or sunflower oils would all work well).  Leave the jar in a warm place (but not in direct sunlight) for a week, shaking the jar daily.  When the week is up strain the oil through muslin or coffee filter paper wringing out the excess.  Use the oil directly on dry skin or as an after-sun treatment, or use it to make a balm or cream.  For a quicker method, place the calendula and oil mixture in a pan and heat in a low oven (50degC/Gas Mark 1) for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally. I recommend using dried calendula for this to avoid the chance of mould growth in the oil due to the water content in the fresh plant.
  2. Soothing Herbal Bath Tea - Get a large square of muslin and add a handful each of calendula, chamomile, lavender, sea salt and oats. Tie it up and place it in a warm bath.  Or use smaller quantities (a teaspoon each) in a soothing foot bath.
  3. Calendula Facial Toner - Use the same method as the calendula oil, but use orange flower water or rose water (or a mixture of the two) instead of the oil.   To use the toner place a small amount on some cotton wool and wipe over your face after cleansing, before moisturising.
If you've used calendula before and have a favourite recipe for it, please share it in the comments below.

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