Calendula Sherbet Fizz

Calendula officinalis 'Sherbet Fizz' Pot Marigold 'Sherbet Fizz'

Tightly ruffled, fully double blooms in soft buff, cream and pale yellow on the upper surface — but the magic is underneath, where each petal is tipped with deep red-maroon, creating a stunning two-tone shimmer as the flowers move in the breeze.

'Sherbet Fizz' is the designer calendula. Where standard pot marigolds offer flat orange daisies, this sophisticated variety produces tightly packed, ruffled, double blooms in muted sherbet shades — soft buff, pale yellow, cream — with the dramatic red-maroon undersides that flash and shimmer as the flowerheads move in the wind. The colour palette is genuinely unusual for a calendula and suits high-end border design in a way few other annuals can match. It doesn't shout — it glows. The petals are edible (a classic ingredient for summer salads, frozen ice cubes, and the tops of celebration cakes), the plant is RHS Plants for Pollinators recognised and particularly attracts hoverflies and solitary bees, and it is just as easy to grow as any standard calendula. Hardy annual, around 50cm tall.

A note on growing

Calendula seeds need darkness to germinate — sow at 1cm depth and cover well with soil. 'Sherbet Fizz' actually performs best when sown directly into the ground rather than transplanted. Sow direct from March to May, or in September for autumn-sown plants that overwinter for earlier flowers. Full sun, in poor to average well-drained soil — too rich and you'll get leaves at the expense of flowers. Germination is fast, typically 7–14 days. Successional sowings every 4–6 weeks extend the harvest. The stems can be slightly sticky/resinous to handle, and the orange pollen can stain white fabric — worth knowing if you arrange them indoors.

Where it shines

In the cutting garden as a designer-quality cut flower for sophisticated arrangements — the colour palette suits both warm autumn schemes (where the red undersides echo seasonal foliage) and pale summer bouquets (where the soft buff tops harmonise with cream and white companions). In the cottage border for unusual, refined colour. In the kitchen, where the sherbet-toned petals look genuinely beautiful scattered over summer cakes, frozen into ice cubes, or sprinkled into salads.

Plant alongside

The smoky bronze foliage of Bronze Fennel picks up the red-maroon undersides of 'Sherbet Fizz' for a moody, sophisticated combination. The electric blue of Cornflower or Anchusa 'Blue Angel' against the buff-yellow tops creates a cottage-classic colour pairing that bees adore. For autumn cutting, pair with the deep crimson tassels of Amaranthus.