Attract A Variety Of Birds & Pollinators To Your Yard With One Vibrant Flower

The envelope, please. The award for Annual of the Year goes to... calendula! 

This stunning and versatile flower was selected by the National Garden Bureau as the best annual of 2025. That's high praise for this vibrant flower that is also beloved by all kinds of curious and hungry critters, including beneficial insects like ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings, which eat plant-destroying pests. This type of natural pest control is a gardener's dream, of course, but its appeal doesn't end with just the good guys. It seems that in addition to these friendly creatures, calendula is also attractive to some lesser desired insects. This makes it a perfect candidate for a "trap crop", AKA a way to divert the harmful pests from your prized plants. Growing a sacrificial cluster of calendula can help keep bugs like caterpillars, flies, and aphids away from any produce you may be growing.

Another favorable attribute for calendula is its ability to help pollinators do their job – namely butterflies and bees that are attracted to its nectar. Hummingbirds and other birds that are attracted to orange and yellow will also be drawn to calendula. This includes orioles, goldfinches, cardinals, warblers and potentially many seed-eating birds. 

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is a member of the daisy family asteraceae and hails originally from the Mediterranean. Although calendulas are a direct relative of marigolds, there are many ways to tell them apart. They grow well in the United States in zones 2-11 and thrive in cooler weather. To grow calendulas, you can plant them as seeds or starter plants around the time of the last frost. 

In addition to being a colorful and helpful addition to any garden, calendula has many other desirable traits. It has a mild, musky scent and can be made into essential oil or used in lotions. It also has edible leaves and petals which can be used in salads and soups or as garnishes. Calendulas can also be harvested to make dye in a deep yellow color. It's been called "poor man's saffron" when used to season rice and grains or to add flavor to soup bases. Calendula is also grown for medicinal purposes. It can be made into teas that are said to treat ulcers and jaundice. It can also be used topically on cuts and burns and as an anti-inflammatory. In fact, its chemical compounds are currently being studied in clinical trials focused on skin conditions, cancer treatments, and stomach issues.

If this wasn't enough to get you on board, calendula is also very fetching when used simply as cut flowers. They can round out any bouquet or stand on their own when vased as a single variety. From food to cosmetics, medicine, and more, it's no wonder this reliable pollinator and bird attractor was crowned 2025's annual of the year.