What Calendula Taught Me
One of my favorite herbal plants is Calendula. It thrives all summer long and brings a burst of color to any garden. Gardening runs deep in my blood—I’ve inherited a love for plants from my grandmother, who grew beautiful flowers despite the challenges of living on the side of a hill. She used rock borders to keep the soil in place, showing me early on how perseverance and creativity can overcome obstacles. Both of her daughters followed her lead, growing their own gardens—my aunt focused on flowers while my mother opted for practical crops like potatoes and green beans.
As kids, my brother and I spent many springs and summers helping out in the garden. We picked produce (which was fun!) and squashed bugs (which was definitely not!). These early experiences taught me about the importance of hard work and the joys of growing your own food.
Although my grandmother passed away when I was 12, her legacy lives on. From her, I learned the value of patience and persistence. Over the years, I’ve expanded my knowledge of gardening to include not only vegetables and flowers but also medicinal plants.
Two years ago, I left my garden unattended for about 10 days while I combined a vacation with a hygiene conference. As you can imagine, when I returned, the garden was overrun with weeds. Most disappointing of all, my Calendula wasn’t blooming as well as it had been before.
Calendula officinalis, with its vibrant yellow and orange flowers, is an incredibly versatile herb. It has powerful healing properties, both internally and externally. As a vulnerary, it supports tissue healing in the digestive tract and can even help reduce the appearance of scars externally. I use it in many of my herbal preparations, from facial creams to healing salves.
During that time away, Calendula taught me a valuable lesson. When I returned to find it struggling, it wasn’t because it had missed me—it was because I hadn’t been cutting the flowers. Calendula thrives on regular pruning; the more you harvest, the more it produces. This serves as a powerful reminder in my own life: just like Calendula, I need to regularly "prune" away distractions and busy work to be more productive and focused.
I’ll be the first to admit that I can easily get distracted, especially when it comes to sitting down to do research or writing. I’d much rather be out in the garden or blending herbs for tea. But life is a process, and I’m continually learning how to grow and refine myself.
How about you? What in your life needs pruning? I encourage you to take a few moments to reflect on what truly brings you joy. Then, consider your life’s purpose and how you can align your actions with it. Once you've done that, start mapping out a path to make the most of this one precious life.
