Calendula Touch of Red
Calendula 'Touch of Red' Seeds
A sophisticated cottage garden classic. Burnished orange blooms reveal a secret mahogany-red reverse, creating a shimmering 'two-tone' effect in the evening light.
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!
Read More
🌿 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 →
Original: $3.35
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$1.00
Description
Calendula 'Touch of Red' Seeds
A sophisticated cottage garden classic. Burnished orange blooms reveal a secret mahogany-red reverse, creating a shimmering 'two-tone' effect in the evening light.
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!
Read More
🌿 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 →
