Calendula officinalis

‘Orange Flash’

APRICOT FLASH ENGLISH MARIGOLD

Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’
APRICOT FLASH ENGLISH MARIGOLD

Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’ is a new, unusual and exquisitely coloured English Marigold.
Apricot rather than orange – so Apricot Flash would have been a better name.

Creamy apricot petals with a flash of bronze beneath

With soft creamy apricot petals on the face of the flower, a contrasting bronze flash on the reverse of the petals, and sultry black-brown eyes.
So it is a stand out beauty.
Subtle and interesting, instead of the often garishly orange common Calendulas.

Ruffled double blooms

The flowers are also frilly, ruffled double blooms – so the petals are twirly and upturned to show off the subtle colours beneath the soft apricot.

Profuse & long blooming

Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’ gives profuse production of these creamy-apricot-bronze blooms, over a long season, from late spring to autumn end.

Treasure for florists

‘Orange Flash’ is also a favourite with florists because of it’s desirable, stylish modern colouring, and the long, strong stems.
It cuts very well and works so well in a vase.

Use for companion planting & cooking

Yet it is also perfect for the veggie plot as an edible flower, the flower garden for lovely colour, in a pot, as well as the commercial flower farm.

Compact “Pot Marigold”

‘Orange Flash’ is lovely in pots, with it’s profuse long blooming, and compact, bushy growth.
Calendula are known as “Pot Marigolds” for good reason.

English Marigolds are amongst the most useful of all flowers

Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’ is an all round new beauty, but very useful.

Beautiful florists flowers

‘Orange Flash’ blooms long and profusely, providing buckets of flowers to cut for vases.
Stems should be cut for floristry when the flowers are about 1/2 open. This gives the longest vase life.

Edible flowers for the veggie garden

Calendula flowers are also deliciously edible.
So use these creamy apricot coloured petals, either harvested fresh or dried.
And brighten up salads, flavour cream cheese, garnish vegetables or colour rice and couscous with them.

Ward off aphids with companion planting

Calendula are also wonderful “attractor plants” in companion planting.
Because Calendula officinalis have sticky stems, especially designed to attract and successfully trap aphids. Thus keeping aphids off your other crops.

Repel nematodes in the soil

Plus Calendula are repulsive to nematodes in the soil.
So ‘Orange Flash’ does great protective work in the veggie garden or in the flower beds. By warding off the root chewing nematodes, as well as looking fetchingly pretty.

Make healing Calendula Oil or Calendula Tea

Calendula flowers have a long history in herbal healing treatments.
And Calendula oil is still popular today to help soothe sensitive and inflamed skin, rashes, stings and bites.
While Calendula tea is also reputed to help calm inflammation.

No-one told the rabbits they are good to eat

Luckily no-one seems to have told rabbits and deer that Calendulas are good and healthy to eat.
They tend to pass them by on the way to tastier fodder – perhaps they do not like the taste of Calendula oil.

Easy from seed

English Marigolds are amongst the quickest and easiest of all plants to grow from seed. And they also mature to flowering size very quickly.

Scatter directly in the garden if you wish

In fact they are so easy you can just scatter the seeds directly into the garden, wherever you want them to grow, with great success.
Summer, autumn, winter and early spring are perfect times to scatter.

Quick from seed to flower

There are few flowers as quick to raise from seed to flowering as the English Marigolds.
Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’ begins to flower in approx, 2 to 2.5 months from sowing the seed.

Great fun for kids (even grown up grandparent kids)

Plus established plants will oblige by self-sowing plenty of volunteer babies each year.
So Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’ is a great seed for introducing kids to the miracles of gardening. Quick success is assured.

Tough as nails & easy to grow

Plant Calendulas in Full Sun to Partial Shade.
They are very unfussy and undemanding plants.

Water-wise & heat hardy

And will oblige even if water is scarce or the days are hot.

Enjoy the flash for years

Calendula officinalis ‘Orange Flash’ is so quick and easy to grow from seed, that it is often treated as an annual.
Though if you cut back hard after the long flowering season – it will usually go through till next spring to burst with flowers again.
However they are also very reliable self-sowers – so leave a few heads to go to seed and you will have plenty of new ‘Orange Flash’ plants for next spring.

45-50cm. High x 30cm. Wide.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: VERY QUICK & EASY
Perfect for beginners & gardening with kids

Scatter seed directly in the garden where you want them to grow
OR
Sow indoors at any time.

Sow indoors for quick germination & early flowers: First sow the seeds in a punnet or cell trays, on surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then gently press the seeds onto the surface of the mix, to ensure good contact.

Now cover the seed to a depth of 10mm.
And you can use sieved mix, or fine grit, or vermiculite, or washed sand to sprinkle over the seeds.

Then place the sown punnet into a shallow water bath (make sure the water level in the bath is below the surface of the mix).
So the moisture percolates up through the mix from the bottom to the surface.
Soak for a short time until moisture appears on the surface of the mix, and then remove and drain.
Because the mix needs to be moist throughout, but not wet.

Now place the moist punnet in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sun).

Calendula love warmth to sprout

Temperatures of 18-23°C approx. are best for rapid and optimum germination.
And you can use a temperature-controlled heat mat if you have one to encourage rapid germination, but it is not essential. A window-sill or well-lit corner is also fine.

Adding a clear plastic cover or plastic bag helps to retain moisture in the punnet.

And continue to keep the punnet moist by spraying the surface of the mix with a fine spray water bottle, or re-soaking in the water bath, as required.
(If the punnet is light weight when you pick it up – the mix is drying out and needs another soak from below in the water bath).

Seedlings emerge in approx. 5-10 days.

Seed Count: 50 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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