Kids In The Garden: Calendula Painting

Climate Zones for Australian Gardeners

Knowing your climate zone will help you decide the best time to sow the vegetables, herbs and flowers you want to grow, and which varieties should perform well in your garden. Growing plants that are suited to your climate zone will usually give you the best results in your garden.

How to Use Climate Zones

First, find your climate zone using the map or descriptions below. Next, refer to our sowing chart, which provides approximate sowing times for our most popular seeds for each climate zone.

While knowing your climate zone is helpful when planning your garden, there are many other factors that may affect how your plants grow, including unseasonal weather conditions, the specific microclimate of your garden and how you care for your plants. You know your garden better than us, so if a different climate zone seems to ‘fit’ your garden better, go ahead and use it as a guide.

Our climate zones cover huge areas of Australia, so we recommend gardeners also consider their local conditions when planning what and when to plant. For example, gardeners in alpine areas have shorter growing seasons than gardeners in cool coastal areas, even though both alpine and coastal areas are included in our ‘Cool Temperate’ climate zone. We recommend gardeners in cool regions look at the ‘days to maturity’ information provided for each variety and choose those that will mature in a short (6-12 week) growing season.

climate map

Tropical

Includes: Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Exmouth
High humidity summers with most rainfall in summer and dry, warm winters. Includes northern Australia from Exmouth (WA) across to south of Townsville (Qld).
Set as my climate My climate

Arid

Includes: Alice Springs, Mildura, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo
Hot dry summers, winters can be warm or cool depending on the region. Includes a large area of central Australia from the WA coast to Charleville (Qld), Tamworth (NSW) and Albury-Wodonga (NSW/Vic).
Set as my climate My climate

Subtropical

Includes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
Warm humid summers with high summer rainfall and mild winters. Includes coastal Queensland and northern NSW from north of Mackay to just south of Coffs Harbour.
Set as my climate My climate

Temperate

Includes: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Toowoomba, Central Coast NSW, Wollongong, Bunbury
Moderate humidity and reliable rainfall, with four distinct seasons. Includes coastal areas from north of Port Macquarie to south of Woollongong in NSW, coastal SA and the southeastern coast of WA.
Set as my climate My climate

Cool Temperate

Includes: Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mt Gambier
Low humidity with most rainfall in winter; hot dry summers and cold winters. Some regions will experience frosts and snow. Includes coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and alpine areas of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
Set as my climate My climate

Climate Zones FAQ

What if I can’t find my climate zone?
If you can’t locate your zone from looking at the map or the descriptions on this page, we suggest that you think of an area that has a climate that’s similar to yours and use the zone for that area as a guide.

What if I live on the border of two zones?
If you live near the border between two zones we suggest you read the descriptions for both zones and decide which best describes the climate where you live. Depending on the microclimate in your garden, you may be able to grow a wider range of plants over a longer season than others in your zone. Lucky you!

What is a microclimate?
A microclimate is a small area where the temperature or humidity differs to the climate of the surrounding area. For example, if you live in a climate zone where frosts are common but your garden is protected by buildings or large trees, your garden may be frost-free. Similarly, if you live in a warm temperate zone but your garden is at a high altitude your microclimate may have more in common with the cool temperate zone, so use this as a guide when deciding which zone is relevant to you.

Can I grow varieties not listed for my climate zone?
While our climate zones and sowing chart will help you decide what is suitable to plant in your garden, they provide general guidance only. We recommend you start by sowing seed that’s recommended for your climate zone; once you get a few successes under your belt you can experiment with varieties in neighbouring zones and see how you go – gardening is all about experimenting after all!

The garden is the ultimate learning environment for any child. It’s where sensory play, imagination and creativity can come alive even in a small space. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, aunty, uncle or friend to a little one, getting them involved in the garden can be rewarding for you both and provide a beautiful moment for connection. This project is best suited to our youngest gardeners from ages 2 – 6 years old.

Calendula and marigolds are a wonderful companion to any vegetable garden and if you’re a keen grower, there’s a good chance you already have some in bloom. You’ll need a few for this project and if you don’t have any save this project for later, grab some seeds and pick this one up in a little while; or get creative and try experimenting with different plants. So, are you ready to get crafty? It’s time to get painting with your blooms.

Calendula painting

What you’ll need

Calendula or marigold flowers. At least five.
Scissors
Mortar and pestle
Paint brush
Watercolour paper
An empty jar
Strainer
Water

*The weather is warming up, don’t forget your sun protection for you and your little one.

Calendula painting

Method

Collect as much calendula or marigold from the garden as you would like. Keeping in mind to keep the stems short as you are cutting them. To maximise your little one’s interest in this activity get them involved right from the start. With guidance watch them use the scissors and talk to them about the flowers and what you are seeing. Perhaps you take a moment to spot a bee, or find a plant that’s gone to seed and you could explore what those seeds look like and talk about how they result in the very same flowers that you will be using for your paint. Don’t forget to bring along a basket or bowl to the garden to hold your flowers in.
Once you have collected all of your flowers (we used about five for this project), find a comfy spot to sit. We chose the kids table because it was sturdy enough for our next step which is where the mortar and pestle come in. One by one, add the flowers into the mortar and have your little one use their strength to hit it with the pestle until the flower starts to fall apart. Depending how much water the plant is holding you might start to see it resemble something goopy, continue to add in more flowers as you go.
Over time, once you’re happy with the number of flowers smooshed into the bottom of the mortar, add in about 1 tbsp of water. Mix and smoosh the contents of the mortar again and you’ll begin to see the colour start to form into a golden orange tone.
At this point, if you aren’t happy with the amount of liquid you can add more flowers in and follow the steps again. You can also add more water at this point if you feel there isn’t quite enough. By the end of five flowers, we ended up adding about 3 tbsp of water.
Once your happy with what you see in the mortar. Have your little one hold a strainer (we used a tea strainer here to suit the small jar we were pouring into), as you tip the contents of the mortar into a jar. The liquid will pass through the strainer and any remnants of flowers will be caught and can be popped into the compost.
Your jar should now be full of the golden orange liquid which is what makes our water paint. Grab your paint brushes and start creating together. Perhaps you could paint a picture of the flowers, creating a full circle moment from when you began.

Calendula harvesting

Calendula mortar and pestle

Calendula paste

Adding water to calendula

Straining calendula

Calendula painting

Tips

There is a way to make water colour paints that takes a little over a day but it isn’t as kid friendly and involves boiling water. Save that for your own craft day.
If you don’t have water colour paper on hand (just like us) fold over a sheet of regular paper into quarters to stop the paint seeping through.
The key to this project is quality time with your little one so keep the conversation engaging and reflective on what you are doing. You could talk about how we can use what we grow in our art, you could consider what other plants you might be able to try this with (spinach and silver beet also work great).
To make the colour a little more vibrant add in a dash of vinegar. You could also add in cornflour to thicken the paint.
Younger children might like to explore the flowers whilst they are creating so it’s a good idea to have a few left over. My 2-year-old loved pulling the petals apart and sprinkling them over his painting, it’s a great exercise in fine motor skills and creative expression.
Lastly, your top tip from my five-year-old, he says adding in some bio glitter would make this project a little more magical or working with multiple colours.

This is the perfect example of green play for children, a method of ecotherapy that promotes sensory integration and expression. A wonderful way to foster curiosity and build confidence in young gardeners and artists. We hope your calendula painting gives you an opportunity for uninterrupted, screen free connection with a special child in your life.

Article & Photographs by Bec Lawrence-Greenhalgh