Heirloom

Ivory Princess

Calendula officinalis

Photo: Hector Gabriel · Wikimedia Commons · (CC0)

2-3" wide double and semidouble blooms. Creamy petals with hints of gold contrast beautifully with a dark center disk. Tall, vigorous, healthy plants yield sturdy stems. Also known as pot marigold, common marigold, and Scotch marigold. Edible Flowers: Petals of the flowers can be used fresh or dried in "flower confetti," soups, soufflés, rice dishes, baked goods, and to garnish desserts. Calendula is a popular choice for brightening up salad mix. Flavor is tangy and slightly bitter. Remove the petals from the flower base before consuming as the base can be quite bitter.

Harvest

50-55d

Days to harvest

📅

Sun

Full sun to partial shade

☀️

Zones

2–11

USDA hardiness

🗺️

Height

12-24 inches

📏

Planting Timeline

Zone:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Start Indoors

Transplant

Direct Sow

Start Indoors

Transplant

Direct Sow

Showing dates for Ivory Princess in USDA Zone 7

All Zone 7 flower →

Zone Map

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Ivory Princess · Zones 2–11

What grows well in Zone 7? →

Growing Details

Difficulty

Easy

Spacing12-18 inches

SoilWell-draining soil, tolerates poor soil; amended clay benefits from compost

WaterRegular, moderate; prefer soil that dries slightly between waterings

SeasonWarm season annual

FlavorTangy, slightly bitter, peppery herbaceous flavor; subtle and mild rather than intense

ColorCream with gold hints, dark center disk

Size2-3"

Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar

Zone	Indoor Start	Transplant	Direct Sow	Harvest
Zone 3	April – May	June – July	June – August	—
Zone 4	March – April	June – June	June – July	—
Zone 5	March – April	May – June	May – July	—
Zone 6	March – April	May – June	May – July	—
Zone 7	February – March	April – May	April – June	—
Zone 8	February – March	April – May	April – June	—
Zone 9	January – February	March – April	March – May	—
Zone 10	January – January	February – March	February – April	—
Zone 1	May – June	July – August	July – September	—
Zone 2	April – May	June – July	June – August	—
Zone 11	January – January	January – February	January – March	—
Zone 12	January – January	January – February	January – March	—
Zone 13	January – January	January – February	January – March	—

Succession Planting

Direct sow Ivory Princess every 3 weeks starting April 1 in zone 7, continuing through early June. Each sowing gives you a fresh flush of blooms roughly 50-55 days out, which staggers peak production instead of sending everything at once. Once daytime highs are consistently above 85°F, flowering slows and the plants start looking ragged — that's your cue to stop sowing until late summer.

You can squeeze in a fall round by sowing again in late August or early September; plants establish before first frost and often carry through a mild winter, putting on strong growth again in early spring. Sow shallowly — no more than 1/4 inch deep — and expect germination in 7-14 days if soil temps are sitting between 60-70°F.

Complete Growing Guide

Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.

Harvesting

Ivory Princess reaches harvest at 50 - 55 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. Expect 2-3" at peak. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.

Seeds ripe from August to November.

Type: Achene.

Harvest time: Fall

Edibility: Flower petals give color to soups, custards, and rice; also used in cookies, vinegars.

Storage & Preservation

Fresh calendula petals keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-5 days; store on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. For longer preservation, dry petals completely in a warm room with low humidity, then store in an airtight glass jar away from light—dried petals retain their color and mild flavor for 6-12 months. You can also freeze petals in ice cube trays with water for later use in soups and broths, or preserve them in infused oils (submerge dried petals in high-quality oil for 2-3 weeks, then strain). Calendula tea—made from dried petals—stores well in an airtight container and supports the plant's traditional use as a soothing herbal infusion. Always remove and discard the bitter flower base before consuming or preserving petals.

History & Origin

Ivory Princess is open-pollinated, meaning seed saved from healthy plants will produce true-to-type offspring. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.

Origin: Mediterranean

Advantages

+Stunning creamy petals with gold hints and dark centers provide striking garden visual contrast
+Tall vigorous plants produce sturdy stems ideal for cut flower arrangements and bouquets
+Edible petals offer culinary versatility in salads, soups, desserts, and garnishing dishes
+Easy to grow with minimal care requirements making it perfect for beginner gardeners
+Blooms prolifically within 50-55 days providing quick gratification and continuous flowering

Considerations

-Petals require careful removal from bitter base before consuming edible flower portions
-Tall plant habit may require staking or support in windy garden locations
-Self-seeds prolifically which can lead to volunteer plants returning as weeds next season

Companion Plants

Sweet alyssum and nasturtiums are the two worth prioritizing alongside Ivory Princess. Alyssum tops out at 4-6 inches, so it doesn't compete for light, and it pulls in hoverflies and parasitic wasps that chew through aphid populations on nearby vegetables. Nasturtiums act as a trap crop — aphids pile onto them first, which keeps pressure off the calendula — and their water needs are close enough that you're running one irrigation schedule, not two. Catmint adds another layer: it repels aphids through volatile oils in its foliage, and the pollinators working its flowers will move straight onto your calendula blooms.

Black walnut is the hard no. Its roots and leaf litter release juglone, a compound that interferes with cellular respiration in sensitive plants, and Calendula officinalis lands squarely on the sensitive list. Sunflowers are a softer problem — allelopathic compounds from their root exudates and decomposing debris can suppress neighboring annuals, and a sunflower at 6-10 feet will shade out a 12-24 inch calendula fast enough that bloom production drops off noticeably within a couple of weeks.

Plant Together

Marigolds

Repel aphids, whiteflies, and nematodes while attracting beneficial insects

Sweet Alyssum

Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps for pest control

Nasturtiums

Act as trap crops for aphids and cucumber beetles, drawing pests away

Lavender

Repels moths, fleas, and mosquitoes while attracting pollinators

Petunias

Natural pest deterrent against aphids, tomato hornworms, and squash bugs

Zinnia

Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators while providing complementary colors

Cosmos

Attracts beneficial insects and provides light shade without competing heavily

Catmint

Repels ants, aphids, and rodents while attracting beneficial pollinators

Keep Apart

Black Walnut

Produces juglone toxin that inhibits growth and can kill sensitive plants

Eucalyptus

Releases allelopathic compounds that suppress growth of nearby plants

Sunflowers

Allelopathic effects inhibit germination and growth of smaller flowering plants

Pests & Disease Resistance

Common Pests

Relatively pest-resistant; occasionally spider mites in hot, dry conditions

Diseases

Powdery mildew in humid, poorly ventilated conditions; root rot if overwatered

Troubleshooting Ivory Princess

What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.

White powdery coating on leaves and stems, usually appearing first on upper leaf surfaces sometime after week 6

Likely Causes

Powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum) — thrives when nights are cool and humid but days are dry, and airflow is poor
Crowded spacing under 12 inches that traps moisture around foliage

What to Do

1.Cut out and trash the worst-affected stems — don't compost them
2.Thin plants to at least 12 inches apart and pull any weeds crowding the base
3.Spray remaining foliage with a diluted solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda per gallon of water; repeat every 7 days

Leaves stippled with tiny yellow or bronze dots, fine webbing visible on the undersides — usually showing up during a dry stretch above 85°F

Likely Causes

Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) — populations explode in hot, dry weather, especially on stressed plants

What to Do

1.Blast the undersides of leaves with a strong stream of water every 2-3 days to knock mites off and disrupt egg-laying
2.If the infestation persists, apply insecticidal soap directly to the leaf undersides; cover thoroughly or it won't work
3.Water more consistently — drought-stressed calendula is significantly more attractive to spider mites

Plant wilting despite moist soil, lower stems turning brown or mushy at the soil line

Likely Causes

Root rot caused by Pythium or Rhizoctonia — both thrive in waterlogged, poorly draining soil
Overwatering or containers without adequate drainage holes

What to Do

1.Pull the plant — if the roots are brown and mushy past the top 2 inches, it won't recover; dispose of it and don't replant calendula in that spot this season
2.Work coarse perlite or compost into the bed before replanting to break up compaction and improve drainage
3.Water only when the top inch of soil feels dry; calendula handles brief dry spells better than it handles wet feet

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Ivory Princess calendula take to flower from seed?▼

Ivory Princess reaches first bloom in approximately 50-55 days from sowing under normal conditions. Seeds germinate in 7-14 days, and the plant develops flowers steadily after transplanting or thinning. For continuous harvests, direct sow every 3 weeks throughout spring and early summer. In cooler climates, starting indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost accelerates flowering by 2-3 weeks compared to direct sowing.

Is Ivory Princess calendula good for beginners?▼

Yes—Ivory Princess is an excellent beginner flower. It tolerates poor soil, handles inconsistent watering better than most plants, and resists pests and diseases naturally. Seeds germinate reliably indoors or direct sown. The main requirement is deadheading spent flowers to maintain production, which is a straightforward, satisfying task. Even a neglectful gardener will harvest flowers; attentive gardeners will get abundant production.

Can you grow Ivory Princess calendula in containers?▼

Absolutely. Use containers at least 12 inches deep with drainage holes and quality potting soil. Space 1-2 plants per 12-inch pot. Container-grown Ivory Princess requires more frequent watering than garden plants—check soil daily during warm weather. Containers warm up faster in spring, promoting earlier blooms, and allow you to move plants to shadier spots if summer heat stress occurs. Deadheading is equally important for container plants.

What does Ivory Princess calendula taste like?▼

Ivory Princess petals offer a tangy, slightly bitter, peppery flavor—more herbaceous than sweet. The taste is subtle, not overwhelmingly bold. Use petals to garnish salads, soups, rice dishes, and baked goods where their mild flavor complements rather than dominates. Remove the dark center base entirely; it's significantly more bitter than the petals and spoils the eating experience. Most gardeners value calendula more for color and mild herbal notes than intense flavor.

When should I plant Ivory Princess calendula seeds?▼

Direct sow after your last spring frost date once soil is workable, or start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost for earlier blooms. Calendulas prefer cool conditions and germinate reliably from spring plantings. For continuous summer and fall harvests in areas with mild autumns, sow succession crops every 3 weeks through midsummer. Fall sowing (8 weeks before the first frost) produces winter blooms in mild climates but risks frost kill in zones 5 and colder.

How do I get maximum flowers from Ivory Princess?▼

Deadhead ruthlessly—remove all spent blooms before they form seed pods. This single practice keeps plants flowering prolifically for months. Provide full sun (6+ hours daily) for peak production. Water regularly but allow soil to dry slightly between waterings. Fertilize every 3-4 weeks with balanced formula. Thin seedlings to proper spacing (12-18 inches apart) to ensure good air circulation and vigor. In hot climates, afternoon shade during peak summer extends the blooming season when temperatures exceed 85°F.