I have a list of tried and true annuals that I grow from seed each year, but I’m always looking for something new or different to try. I’ve read that Calendulas (Pot Marigolds) are considered cool season annuals so I was always afraid to grow them. We have our share of hot and humid days, and I’m not a big fan of plants that poop out in the middle of the season.
A few years ago I saw some pretty blooms in the Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog and decided I’d like to give Calendulas a try. I was pleasantly surprised. They didn’t seem at all affected by humid weather or heat spells. I deadheaded them regularly and they bloomed all summer into fall. They come in a variety of colors including apricot, tangerine, peach, orange, yellow, cream and white.
I had great luck with ‘Antares Flashback’:
and ‘Triangle Flashback’:
Both varieties grew 18-24″ tall and did well in full sun and part shade. The flowers last a long time in a vase.
I planted them throughout my flowerbeds, but I thought they looked especially interesting mixed with Rudbeckia ‘Maya’.
I’m already looking forward to trying even more new varieties this spring.
3 comments
Dear Em,
Beautiful flower pictures. Quite a contrast from yesterday’s pictures!!
Won’t be too long and you can get to see your beautiful garden once again.
ear
Dear Em,
Thanks for the beautiful site you created here. I am a newbie and I love growing flowers from seeds. Last year I started with Zinnia and had pretty much lucks growing them. I thought they grow super fast and produced flowers in 4 months from seeds. This year I start growing Rudbeckia Maya, Calendula Bon Bon Yellow, Aster Red Burst and Chrysanthemum Blue. I live in zone 10 A area. Could you tell me if I need to pinch Rudbeckia Maya when it grows on certain height to make a bushier plant ? How long does it take approximately for you to grow your Rudbeckia from seeds ? Are they a full sun or partial sun plant ?
Best regards,
Jasmine ( email : jascanusa@yahoo.com )
Hi Jasmine,
I usually start my rudbeckias 10 weeks before our last frost (which here in Zone 5 is May 15th). Last year some of them were still a little small when it was time to transplant them into the garden, so this year I sowed the seeds at 12 weeks. They usually don’t need pinching off (even if I don’t pinch them, the rabbits do it for me once they are in the garden—-blurg!) but you can pinch them if they are getting too tall under your lights. Because the leaves aren’t symmetrical, it’s hard to tell which are the cotyledons and which are the first set of true leaves. I pinch above the 3rd or 4th leaf just to be safe.
I have big oak trees surrounding my property, so over the years my garden has gone from full sun to partial sun. Rudbeckias love full sun, but I’ve had absolutely no problem growing them in partial sun. You’ll love ‘Maya’, it’s beautiful and one of my favorite rudbeckias.
Good luck with your seeds!
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