German chamomile

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade is useful in hot climates.

Water

Moderate while establishing; then water during prolonged dry spells. Avoid persistently wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, preferably of modest fertility; tolerates a fairly wide pH range.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Flowers

Late spring through summer, sometimes into early autumn; white ray petals surround raised yellow centres.

Foliage

Soft green, finely divided, feathery leaves with an apple-like scent when crushed.

Growth

Fast; flowers in its first growing season.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Fragrant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Keep the seedbed evenly moist until seedlings are established.
• Thin seedlings to about 0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m) apart for airflow and sturdy growth.
• Water at soil level during dry spells rather than repeatedly wetting the foliage.
• Avoid rich manure and heavy feeding, which encourage floppy growth.
• Pick open flower heads regularly, leaving some to ripen only if you want seedlings.

Pruning. During flowering, snip off open flower heads or lightly trim spent blooms to encourage more flowers. Pull up exhausted plants before their seeds ripen if you do not want them spreading.

Pick the flower heads when fully open, with white petals held flat or just starting to turn down and yellow centres that have not browned. Harvest on dry mornings after the dew has dried, pinching or snipping off heads with little stem attached; repeat every few days. German chamomile is an annual that flowers in its first year, usually from late spring through summer, sometimes into autumn in mild climates.

Early spring

Surface-sow seed outdoors where plants are to grow once the soil is workable; press it in without burying it deeply.

Mid-spring

Thin crowded seedlings and keep young plants watered during dry weather.

Late spring

Make a second small sowing if you want a longer flowering season.

Summer

Harvest fully open flower heads on dry days and dry them promptly in a shaded, airy place.

Late summer

Leave a few flower heads to set seed, or remove fading plants to prevent self-sowing.

Autumn

Clear exhausted plants and remove unwanted seedlings; in mild climates, autumn-sown seedlings may overwinter.

• Weave through herb beds with parsley and chives for contrasting foliage and accessible flower harvesting.
• Plant in loose groups near the front of cottage borders, where the fine foliage softens heavier plants.
• Use between vegetable crops as a short-lived flowering plant for hoverflies and other beneficial insects.
• Grow in a sunny container with good drainage near a kitchen door for regular picking.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Potager (kitchen garden), Herb parterre, Pollinator garden, Sensory garden and Edible landscape.

Plant it with: Calendula, Borage, Chives, Parsley, Lettuce and Sweet alyssum.

Wildlife: The open flowers provide pollen and nectar for small bees, hoverflies and other insects. Avoid spraying flowers while insects are visiting.

• Aphids on soft shoots: wash off small colonies with water and encourage hoverflies and ladybirds.
• Powdery mildew in crowded or stressed plants: thin seedlings, improve airflow and water the soil during drought.
• Root rot in waterlogged soil: improve drainage or grow in a free-draining container; discard badly affected plants.
• Flopping in rich soil or shade: move future sowings into more sun and stop nitrogen-rich feeding.

German chamomile is not known to be toxic to people in normal culinary amounts, but flowers and foliage can cause allergic reactions, especially in people sensitive to ragweed and other daisy-family plants. It is not known to be poisonous to cats, dogs or horses, although species-specific safety information is limited; do not offer large amounts or concentrated essential oil. Do not assume that toxicity information for Roman chamomile applies to this species.

• Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

  A low, creeping perennial rather than an upright annual; its flower receptacle is solid, while German chamomile's raised yellow receptacle is hollow when cut lengthways.

• Scentless mayweed (Tripleurospermum inodorum)

  Usually has larger flower heads and little or no chamomile scent; its flower receptacle is solid rather than hollow.

• Pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea)

  Has small, yellow-green, cone-shaped flower heads without white ray petals and a pineapple-like scent when crushed.

Chamomile comes from Greek words meaning 'ground apple', referring to the plant's apple-like scent.

Propagation. Grow from seed, usually sown directly outdoors in spring. Seeds need light for good germination, so press them onto the surface and keep moist. It also self-seeds readily; autumn sowing is possible where winters are mild.

Accepted botanical name

Matricaria chamomilla

Native range

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Altay, Austria, Azores, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Canary Is. and Central European Rus.

Measured

Soil pH 5 to 5.5. Average height 40 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.