Calendula Touch of Red
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Description
Calendula 'Touch of Red' Seeds
A sophisticated twist on a cottage garden classic! Calendula 'Touch of Red' is utterly captivating—from a distance, these flowers glow with warm, burnished orange, but up close, they reveal their secret: the underside of each petal is brushed with deep mahogany-red! This is a beautiful mix of yellow, apricot, and orange flowers where each petal has a delicate crimson edging, giving it a vintage, antique feel. As the buds open and the flowers close in the evening, this flash of dark red creates a stunning "two-tone" effect—the flowers appear to shimmer and change colour depending on the viewing angle and time of day!
This is a Hardy Annual and the perfect choice for gardeners who love the easy-going nature of marigolds but find standard bright orange varieties too "loud." 'Touch of Red' brings a moodier, richer colour palette that looks incredible in both traditional vegetable patches and modern cut flower borders. The sophisticated burnished-orange-and-mahogany tones look absolutely stunning in a vase, fit beautifully into heritage garden schemes, and create a vintage atmosphere that feels timeless and elegant. It's also a medicinal powerhouse—historically used in healing balms and salves! The petals are 100% edible (imagine those orange-and-red-edged petals sprinkled over salads!), it attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies in droves (RHS Plants for Pollinators), and acts as a natural bodyguard for your beans and tomatoes. This is cottage garden sophistication with Victorian charm—easy, productive, edible, medicinal, and utterly beautiful!
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🌿 Understanding the Plant
Calendula officinalis 'Touch of Red' is a robust Hardy Annual (H3). While standard pot marigolds are prized for their bright utility, this designer selection offers a multi-tonal aesthetic previously reserved for high-end floristry. It is biologically identical to the hardy native wildflower, surviving temperatures down to -5°C and thriving in the temperate British climate.
The "Touch of Red" Mechanism: The unique beauty of this variety is botanical: the crimson-mahogany pigment is concentrated on the abaxial (reverse) side of the petals. As the flower head tracks the sun throughout the day and prepares to close at twilight, it reveals these dark mahogany tones, creating a living, shifting colour palette in your border.
Pollinator Bodyguard: Calendula is a cornerstone of organic gardening. It is an RHS Plant for Pollinators, specifically attracting hoverflies. Hoverfly larvae are voracious predators of aphids, meaning that by planting 'Touch of Red' near your beans or tomatoes, you are establishing a natural, chemical-free biological control system.
🌱 Growing Guide
Calendula seeds are large, curved (resembling tiny seahorses), and exceptionally easy to handle, making them a perfect project for gardeners of all experience levels.
How to Sow:
Direct sow outdoors from April to May for summer blooms, or in August to September for the earliest flowers the following spring. Scatter the seeds into shallow drills 1cm deep and cover well with soil; Calendula seeds require darkness to trigger germination. Germination is rapid, typically occurring within 7-10 days.
Where to Plant:
They demand full sun to reach their peak colour saturation and thrive in almost any well-drained soil. They perform exceptionally well in "poor" soil; excessive nitrogen or heavy manuring will encourage lush green foliage at the expense of the designer two-tone flowers. Space plants 30cm apart to allow for their bushy, mounded habit.
The Golden Rule:
To maintain a non-stop display, you must keep picking. Regular harvesting of stems for the vase—or diligent deadheading—prevents the plant from forming seed heads and signals it to continue producing fresh, mahogany-edged buds until the first hard frosts of autumn.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Botanical Name | Calendula officinalis 'Touch of Red' |
| Common Name | Pot Marigold |
| Plant Type | Hardy Annual |
| Hardiness | H3 (Hardy through UK summer) |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun ☀️ |
| Height | 50cm - 60cm |
| Spread | 30cm |
| Spacing | Plant 30cm apart |
| Flowering Period | June to October |
| Perfect For | ✂️ High-End Vintage Cut Flowers 🐝 Natural Pest Control (Hoverflies) 🥗 Gourmet Edible Petal Garnish 🏛️ Heritage & Victorian Garden Schemes |
| Seeds per Packet | Approximately 100 seeds |
🤝 Beautiful Garden Combinations
The sophisticated burnished-orange tones of 'Touch of Red' work spectacularly with available partners from our range:
- 🥉 Bronze Fennel: The Moody Masterpiece. The dark, smoky copper-bronze foliage of Bronze Fennel picks up the mahogany-red petal reverse of 'Touch of Red' perfectly. This is a designer-level pairing for heritage gardens, creating an architectural, textured display that is exceptionally attractive to beneficial hoverflies.
- 💙 Cornflower 'Blue Ball': The High-Contrast Vibration. Burnished orange and royal blue are complementary opposites on the colour wheel. Pairing 'Touch of Red' with electric-blue Cornflowers creates a display that practically vibrates with colour, providing a long-season buffet for British bees.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Direct sow in spring for a summer-long harvest of two-tone blooms, or in autumn for a stronger, earlier display the following spring.
✨ Gourmet Edible Tip
The petals of 'Touch of Red' are 100% edible and possess a mild, slightly peppery flavour. Sprinkle the burnished-orange and mahogany petals over summer salads or use them to decorate celebration cakes for a professional visual pop.
🏆 Robust Garden Stamina
Known for its stamina and ability to thrive in poor soils, Calendula officinalis 'Touch of Red' is an essential choice for those wanting to create a sophisticated, low-maintenance garden that provides non-stop two-tone blooms for both the border and the vase.
📖 Want more detailed growing advice?
View our Complete Growing Guide for Annuals →
Delivery & Returns
Delivery:
Delivery to mainland UK is calculated at checkout. For all other areas and large orders please ask for a quote. Orders will be sent by express next day delivery (DPD). They will be dispatched on a next working day service, with the exception of Ireland where it may take two days. Please allow up to 48 hours for delivery in the UK as the couriers may have already been and collected on the day you send your order in. Smaller orders for pouches, pockets, bags and pots may be sent via Royal Mail delivery. Please ensure you supply an email address and a mobile so you can be updated about your delivery. Should you have any problems with your delivery, please contact us at sales@naturalgrower.co.uk.Special Deliveries
Saturday or weekday morning deliveries can be arranged, but there will be a surcharge. Please contact us to request a price for either of these delivery services. If you need a parcel sending outside of the UK, please contact us for a quote.Returns:
If you are not completely happy with any product that you have ordered from us, you may return it to us in its original condition any time within 14 calendar days from the date of dispatch. Products must be returned in their original condition. Please contact us at sales@naturalgrower.co.uk to arrange a return. If you return a product by post, you will need to pay the costs of returning the product to us and obtain proof of posting.
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