Growing Calendula (Pot Marigold) in Your Houston, Texas Garden

Calendula is very easy to grow, and is certain to brighten up your garden with its lemon, apricot, bronze, peach, orange, and gold blossoms (as well as other colors!) You can grow them from seeds in your Houston, Texas garden, where they will reseed themselves once established. Calendulas have long stems, which make them perfect for use in bouquets or arrangements. There is no end to the benefits Calendula will bring to your Houston, Texas garden - they are cold hardy and disease resistant, and also host many beneficial bugs such as syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, pirate bugs and bees. Calendula blossoms can also be used to flavor soups and salads, or brewed into a soothing tea (no pesticides, please). If you would like to grow Calendulas in your own Houston, Texas garden, try planting some of the varieties below.

Flashback Mix. This Calendula is the most striking flower you can choose for your Houston, Texas garden. It blooms in bronze, peach, apricot, pink, red, yellow and multicolor. Plant these Calendulas in full sun in the early fall, and they will bloom from fall all the way through spring. They are in general very hard to kill, and can tolerate cold temperatures down to fifteen degrees (unlikely in Houston, Texas.) Use these Calendulas as an accent plant or in your mixed borders. They can reach heights of up to two feet.

Lemon Cream. I you are looking for a beautiful, pale yellow flower for your Houston, Texas garden, try planting these Calendulas. The flowers have six layers of soft yellow petals, and will bloom from fall through spring. Plant them in full sun in your Houston, Texas garden in the fall, where they make a terrific groundcover. These Calendulas also do very well in containers, and make great cut flowers for bouquets and arrangements.

Oktoberfest. The rich orange of this Calendula's flowers make it a great choice for adding autumn color to your Houston, Texas garden. They are disease resistant and can stand the cold down to fifteen degrees. Plant them in full sun in the early fall in your Houston, Texas garden, and enjoy their blooms from fall through the spring. These Calendulas look beautiful in mixed borders, and can also be used as accent plants. They can grow as tall as two feet, and have long stems that are great for cut flowers.

Strawberry Blonde. These Calendulas have lovely pale pink and yellow flowers, with dark red centers. They are not as cold tolerant as other Calendulas, standing temperatures only down to 35 degrees, but they are otherwise quite hardy. Disease resistant and drought tolerant, they will grow to be between 12 and 18 inches tall. Plant them in full sun in the fall in your Houston, Texas garden, and expect flowers from August through late fall.

Pink Surprise. Butterflies, bees and birds love the bronze-edged, yellow flowers of these Calendulas, which have amber-colored centers. Plant them in full to partial sun in your Houston, Texas garden, and they will blossom from fall through spring. These Calendulas are drought tolerant and usually survive the Houston, Texas winter without problems.

Source list:

Personal experience
http://www.chron.com/apps/chron_data/plants.mpl