Calendula, also called Marigold (not to be confused with the more common
French Marigold), Summer's Bredc, Holigold, Marybud, or my favorite:
Bride of the Sun.
History And Folklore
Ancient
Romans were the first to name Calendula, noting that these bright
flowers always seemed to open on the first day of the month, "calends"
in latin. It's also called "Mary's Favorite Flower,"
and some churches decorate their statutes of the Virgin Mary with it.
There is no agreement among folklorists on whether the legend is derived
from the Virgin Mary or Mary Queen of Scotts. It was said to be
effective in love drawing spells.
Cultivation
Calendula does well in a partial shade environment and can work well in
the corners of a garden and in cooler climates. It's growing season can
extend into October. When growing from seed the planting should be at
about one eighth of an inch deep and should be done right after the soil
has been turned. Plants should be placed at least nine inches apart and
need to be weeded consistently. Calendula can come down with some plant
diseases, leave spot, stem rot, blight, and mildew to name a few. You
can prevent these by ensuring the plant is 6 inches from any other
plants, this allows better air circulation. Insects such as slugs,
snails, aphid, caterpillars, etc can occur too. Mist the plants with a
spray bottle full of soap and water. I recommend a solution of Dr Brauner's and distilled water at least once a week until the pests are gone.
Harvesting
Harvesting should be done as the flowers open but pinching off the
entire flower at the stem. It's the leaves that are valuable, the stem
and roots are not usable. Flowers can be dried on newspaper in the shade
over a few days. In England it used to be boiled and eaten as a
vegetable but has made a comeback as an addition to salads and soups.
When taken internally it tends to dramatically lower blood sugar and is
therefore dangerous to diabetics. More uses of marigold (calendula) in vegetable garden right here (Companion Planting for a Greener Garden )
