Calendula is a very soothing plant and one that grows very easily. I grow it in long home made planters along the side of the house where it is nice and sheltered and gets plenty of sunshine. It seems very happy there and produces flowers all summer long. They are incredibly generous plants. I pick off the flower heads and they simply produce more. It always amazes me how giving they are. The flowers range from soft yellow through to deeper orange, and they are beautiful when they are all in bloom together.
Harvesting through the summer
Because calendula flowers continuously, I can harvest it right through the summer months. I pick the flower heads regularly while they are fresh and open. The petals are then dried so they can be used later in our products. I use calendula together with gorse flowers, which I gather earlier in the year. The two work very nicely together.
A traditional soothing plant
Calendula, often known as pot marigold, has been used in traditional skin preparations for centuries. The petals contain natural compounds including flavonoids and carotenoids, which give the flowers their golden colour. These plant compounds are known for their soothing and antioxidant properties. Calendula is widely used in skin care because it is considered very gentle. It has long been associated with helping calm and comfort the skin, which is why it appears so often in balms and creams. For me it is simply a lovely plant to work with and one that fits very naturally into the range.
How I use calendula in our products
The dried petals are infused in oil and then used across several products.You will find calendula in our Wild Gorse and Calendula soap, where it works alongside the gorse flowers gathered earlier in the year. It also appears in the whipped body butter and in the Nourish Elixir body oil. I include it in our lip balm as well, where its gentle nature makes it particularly suitable. Calendula also features in our Calendula & Lemon shampoo bar for normal hair, which has proved to be a very popular bar.
Because it flowers for such a long period, it is one of the plants I am able to harvest steadily throughout the summer.
