Calendula 'Art Shades Mixed' Seeds
Grow a sunset in your garden! Calendula 'Art Shades Mixed' is a sophisticated twist on the traditional Pot Marigold—forget the jarring bright yellows of municipal flower beds, this is a curated mix designed for the modern gardener. It produces masses of large, double and semi-double blooms in a warm, romantic spectrum of apricot, creamy-citrus, soft orange, and buff. Many of the flowers feature contrasting dark centres or petal tips dipped in mahogany, giving them a depth and complexity that standard varieties lack. These aren't your grandmother's marigolds—they're elegant, vintage-inspired blooms that look like they've been plucked from a Mediterranean villa garden!
This is a Hardy Annual and the ultimate "cut-and-come-again" flower—standing tall on sturdy 50-60cm stems, it provides bucketfuls of "sunset" blooms that mix perfectly with blues and purples in the vase. Calendula is famously tough, thriving in conditions where fussier plants fail, and if you keep cutting or deadheading, it will carry on producing flowers for MONTHS (often well into autumn!). The warm apricot tones of 'Art Shades' look amazing sprinkled over savoury salads—the petals are 100% edible with a mild, peppery flavour. It's beloved by bees and hoverflies (RHS Plants for Pollinators), self-seeds generously once established, and lasts beautifully in the vase. This is cottage garden gold—easy, productive, edible, bee-friendly, and utterly gorgeous!
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🌿 Understanding the Plant
Calendula officinalis 'Art Shades Mixed' is a robust Hardy Annual (H3). While standard pot marigolds are prized for their utility, this curated selection offers a sophisticated, multi-tonal aesthetic previously reserved for high-end floristry. It is biologically identical to the hardy native wildflower, surviving temperatures down to -5°C and perfectly suited to the British summer climate.
The "Art Shades" Palette: The unique beauty of this variety is botanical: the mix provides a spectrum of apricot, peachy-orange, and buff tones. Many blooms feature anthocyanin-rich mahogany tips or dark chocolate centres, providing a "sunset" effect that shifts and deepens as the light changes in the early evening.
Pollinator Bodyguard: Calendula is a cornerstone of organic gardening. It is an RHS Plant for Pollinators, specifically attracting hoverflies. Hoverfly larvae are voracious predators of aphids, meaning that by planting 'Art Shades' near your beans or tomatoes, you are establishing a natural, chemical-free biological control system with a sophisticated aesthetic.
🌱 Growing Guide
Calendula seeds are large, curved (resembling tiny seahorses), and exceptionally easy to handle, making them a perfect project for gardeners of all experience levels.
How to Sow:
Direct sow outdoors from March to May for summer blooms, or in September for the earliest flowers the following spring. Scatter the seeds into shallow drills 1cm deep and cover well with soil; Calendula seeds require darkness to trigger germination. Germination is rapid, typically occurring within 7-10 days.
Where to Plant:
They demand full sun to reach their peak colour intensity and thrive in almost any well-drained soil. They perform exceptionally well in "poor" soil; excessive nitrogen or heavy manuring will encourage lush green foliage at the expense of the designer blooms. Space plants 30cm apart to allow for their bushy, upright habit.
Ongoing Care:
To maintain a non-stop display, you must keep picking. Regular harvesting of stems for the vase—or diligent deadheading—prevents the plant from forming seed heads and signals it to continue producing fresh, sunset-hued buds until the first hard frosts of autumn.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Botanical Name | Calendula officinalis 'Art Shades' |
| Common Name | Pot Marigold |
| Plant Type | Hardy Annual |
| Hardiness | H3 (Hardy through UK summer) |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun ☀️ |
| Height | 50cm - 60cm (Tall cut-flower type) |
| Spread | 30cm |
| Spacing | Plant 30cm apart |
| Flowering Period | June to October |
| Perfect For | ✂️ High-Impact Cut Flower Bouquets 🐝 Natural Pest Control (Hoverflies) 🥗 Edible Sunset Garnish 🏛️ Vintage-Inspired Villa Gardens |
| Seeds per Packet | Approximately 100 seeds |
🤝 Beautiful Garden Combinations
The warm sunset tones of 'Art Shades Mixed' work spectacularly with available partners from our range:
- 🌿 Borage (Starflower): The Edible Bee Team. The star-shaped sky-blue flowers of Borage provide a cool, stunning contrast to the warm apricot tones of the Calendula. This is the ultimate edible potager pairing; both species are 100% edible and act as absolute magnets for honeybees all summer long.
- 💜 Clary Sage 'Oxford Blue': The Designer Mix. The deep indigo-purple bracts of Clary Sage create a stunning, vibrant contrast with the soft apricot flowers. This pairing is highly structural and professional-looking, providing a long season of interest that also dries beautifully for winter.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Direct sow in spring for a summer-long harvest of sunset blooms, or in autumn for a stronger, earlier display the following spring.
✨ Gourmet Edible Tip
The petals of 'Art Shades' are 100% edible and possess a mild, peppery flavour. Sprinkle the warm apricot and buff petals over summer salads or use them to decorate celebration cakes for a professional visual pop.
🏆 Robust Garden Stamina
Known for its stamina and ability to thrive in poor soils, Calendula officinalis 'Art Shades Mixed' is an essential choice for those wanting to create a sophisticated, low-maintenance garden that provides non-stop sunset blooms for both the border and the vase.
📖 Want more detailed growing advice?
View our Complete Growing Guide for Annuals →
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