Calendula a Fiore Semplice Arancio Vintage 1928 Flower Seeds Franchi Seeds

Calendula is one of the most reliable flowers you can grow in Ireland. While other annuals sulk in a cool, wet summer, this tough pot marigold keeps flowering from June right through to October. It handles Irish rain, tolerates cooler temperatures, and self sows so freely that one packet can give you years of bright orange blooms without buying again.

This is the single-flowered form (Fiore Semplice), which means the centre of each bloom is fully open. That matters for two reasons: bees and hoverflies can reach the pollen easily, making it one of the best pollinator flowers for Irish gardens, and the open petals are edible. Scatter them fresh over salads, rice dishes or soups for a splash of colour and a mild, peppery flavour.

Calendula is also one of the most useful companion plants in a vegetable garden. Grow it alongside tomatoes, courgettes and brassicas to attract hoverflies, whose larvae feed on aphids. A practical and beautiful addition to any Irish plot.

🌱 Sowing: March to June (or September for early spring flowers)

☀️ Light: Full sun

🌡️ Germination: 7 to 14 days

📏 Height: 40 to 50 cm

🌸 Flowering: June to October

🌿 Growing tips for Ireland One of the easiest flowers to grow from seed in any part of Ireland. Sow direct outdoors from March, no need for a propagator or windowsill. Calendula handles light frost, so early sowing is safe. For even earlier flowers next year, sow a batch in September and they will overwinter as small plants and bloom from May.

Thin seedlings to about 25 cm apart. Deadhead regularly to keep new flowers coming, or leave some heads to set seed for next year. Calendula thrives in most Irish soils including heavier clay, and is perfectly happy in containers, raised beds and allotments.

🏺 Part of the Vintage 1928 Range Selected from the Vintage 1928 collection by Franchi Sementi, Italy’s oldest seed house (Est. 1783). Winner of Best Retail Product 2025. Quality and heritage you can trust, grown in Irish gardens.

🇮🇪 BloomySeeds is the Official Irish Partner of Franchi Sementi. Every packet is genuine, traceable and DAFM registered. Free delivery across Ireland on orders over €40.