About
Calendula officinalis 'Needles and Pins' is a distinctive annual marigold featuring mid-green leaves. Its orange blooms, characterized by their quilled petals, emerge in early summer and continue to thrive until the initial frost.
About the genus
Calendula comprises either annuals or perennials with woody bases. They feature straightforward, fragrant foliage and prominent flower heads resembling daisies, which bloom in shades of orange or yellow during the summer and autumn months.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand, Chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Annual Biennial
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1 year
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in well drained soil in ful sun. Sow direct in spring, 0.5cm deep into finely prepared soil, thin to 23cm apart. For a continuous display, sow at two to three weekly intervals. Autumn sowings will flower the following year. Deadhead regularly and pinch out terminal shoots to encourage bushy growth
- Pruning
- Regularly deadhead to extend flowering. Cut back to ground level after flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in situ in Spring or Autumn
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to Powdery mildews and a virus