Calendula officinalis.

An annual of almost insolent generosity, christened by the Romans calendula, from the word calendae, the first day of the month — because it was said to reflower at every renewal of the calendar. The Pacific Beauty selection unfolds a warm palette running from pale cream-yellow to burnt orange, sometimes marked with darker centres, on stems longer and sturdier than those of the old marigolds — cut as much for the vase as for the garden.

A do-everything flower: ornamental, medicinal (the famous calendula ointment has soothed burns, chapping and irritated skin for centuries), edible (petals crumbled onto a salad, rice or compound butter for their golden colour and faint peppery taste — it was long nicknamed the "poor man's saffron"), and an excellent garden companion where it attracts pollinators and confuses certain pests. Continuous bloom from June through the first hard frost — sometimes beyond — making it one of the last flowers to lower its flag in autumn.

Grower's tip: Calendula germinates fast and easy, but prefers cool weather — sow early in spring or in late summer for a wave of autumn bloom. Cut the flowers regularly (or let the bees take care of it): the more you pick, the more it produces. For a medicinal or culinary harvest, pick on a dry day, mid-morning, once the dew has evaporated.

• Open-pollinated.
• Height: 45-60 cm.
• Flowering: June through the first frosts.
• Exposure: full sun; tolerates part shade.
• Ordinary, well-drained soil. Undemanding. Thin to 20-25 cm.
• Direct-sow as soon as the soil can be worked (April-May), or start indoors 4-6 weeks before transplanting. Self-seeds generously once established.