Calendula officinalis 'Playtime Mix' Organic is a selection of Marigold or Common Marigold that brings together several cultivars with beautiful varied flowers. The plants offer single, semi-double, and even double flowers in a palette of vibrant or pastel yellow and orange tones, around a yellow or dark brown centre. Flowering starts in May, depending on the sowing date, and continues until the first frost. Radiant, it attracts many insects and brightens borders as well as bouquets. Marigold is an undemanding annual flower, easy to sow, ideal for beginners.

Listed in gardens since the 12th century, the Common Marigold has virtues exploited in many fields. It is first and foremost a dye plant from which a pigment is extracted. But it is also used in cosmetics, pharmacology, and homeopathy for its soothing, astringent, healing, anti-inflammatory, and hepatic properties, among others. Finally, its nickname False Saffron comes from its culinary use. Indeed, Marigold is a great substitute for this spice by coloring rice-based dishes, as well as stews, soups, and herbal teas. Raw, it flavors cheeses, salads, and even butter. Moreover, it has long been established in the vegetable garden as an ally of other edibles, as it repels nematodes and attracts many pollinating insects.

The 'Playtime Mix' Marigold has an upright, slightly spreading habit, composed of brittle, branching stems that give it a rather bushy appearance. The plants reach about 30cm in height when flowering and they flower about 10 weeks after sowing. The lanceolate, green leaves are velvety and very aromatic when crushed. The flowers are heads composed of long petals, which are actually ligulate flowers, surrounding a small central disc of variable colour. They open in the sun and are highly visited by pollinating insects. The flowering will continue until autumn if you have a mild climate. Marigold seeds spread easily in various ways: by the wind, falling to the ground, but also by clinging to clothing and animal fur, as they have small hooked crescents. This variety will easily self-seed.

The 'Playtime Mix' Organic Marigold brings a lot of cheerfulness to borders and flower beds. Its flowering also enlivens window boxes and pots around the house, alongside Love-in-a-Mist or California Poppies, for example.