Pinching back Calendulas promotes a bushier form. Cut them back severely if they begin to suffer in the summer heat. This helps to keep the plant healthy allow it to recover and produce blooms in the autumn season. Remove the spent flowers to keep plants looking tidy and encourage additional blooms.

Can I cut back calendula?

Cut or pinch calendula back to about half its growth if the plant is looking shaggy, which often happens in midsummer. This is easily done during the deadheading process. Pruning rejuvenates the plant and promotes thicker growth and blooming.

Do calendula come back every year?

Although calendula is grown as an annual, anyone who's left a plant in the ground in autumn can testify they are actually short-lived perennials. Calendula comes from the Latin word kalendae, meaning the first day of the month, and alludes to this plant's desire to flower every month that it can.