Calendula officinalis The Italian Wildflower that radiates sunshine Italian fields are blessed with masses of sunshine-yellow Calendula officinalis from late February until late November and this natural show often continues right through the bleak winter . This tiny colonizing annual wild flower can cover huge swathes of countryside in a very short time, if it is given the chance. This is the original, wild marigold and is probably a native of the Mediterranean. This compact (20cm tall) plant can be found sprawling up and down roadside verges, under olive trees and at the edge of fields and its orange-yellow flowers can illuminate even the dullest of grassy areas and they often give the impression that the sun is beaming down upon them, even when maybe it is not. Calendula is a common plant throughout Italy and it can be found from the lowest areas up until around 600m above sea level. Preferring full sun and tolerating almost any soil it is a true conqueror of grassland and it has also been used for centuries in Italian cuisine, medicine and even beauty treatments. MEDICINAL USES OF CALENDULA OFFICINALIS Calendula officinalis has antispasmodic, antiseptic and skin-toning qualities, amongst many others. It is particularly useful for irritated skin, eczema and ulcers etc and it has been used as a skin tonic for centuries. The young leaves of Calendula can be can also be eaten raw in salads and the flowers can be used, either fresh or dried, to flavour soups and for colouring cheeses. In the vegetable garden it is one of the better and more famous companion plants, growing well with potatoes, beans and lettuce and also repelling eelworm. Similar and cultivated varieties such as Tagetes are also used as companion plants and for insect repellents in the kitchen garden, however, it is only the true Calendula officinalis can be used in medicine. GROWING AND HARVESTING Calendula, being an annual, will self-seed and distribute them in both the spring and autumn and these will germinate immediately. Picking the flower-heads daily will encourage repeat flowering and these can be dried and in or infused in olive oil and used on the skin or in cooking. CALENDULA IN THE ITALIAN WILD FLOWER MEADOW Calendula is a great plant for the Italian wild flower meadow and is one of the first to colonise areas treated with the ecologica system. After the treatment any annual seeds present in the soil will germinate and will soon transform the grass area into a sea of bright orange-yellow. How many cultivated plants can provide you with colour, food, medicine and beauty treatments, let alone from late February until November! CONTACT ECOLOGICA HERE FOR THE CREATION OF A WILD FLOWER MEADOW