Herb · Asteraceae
German Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
Give it full sun and free-draining soil, and German chamomile will happily fill your bed with apple-scented daisies all summer.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
41–86°F · 5–30°C
60–65 days
Overview
German chamomile is the upright, quick-growing annual behind most of the chamomile tea you know, and it is a genuinely welcoming plant for a first-timer. It belongs to the daisy family and lifts small white-and-yellow flowers on feathery stems, giving off a sweet, apple-like scent that reaches you before the blooms even come into view. Most gardeners grow it for the flower heads, which you pick at their peak and dry for a calming cup.
The lovely part is how little it asks of you. A sunny spot and well-drained soil cover nearly all its needs, and it even settles happily into poor, low-fertility ground that would leave fussier herbs sulking. It is a keen self-seeder too, so one summer's flowers tend to plant the next, and even a small patch can keep itself going for years if you let a few heads ripen.
There is one thing to hold in mind, and it is simple to manage. The dried flowers make a tea that is safe for most people, but the fresh plant is mildly toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and handling the foliage can irritate skin in anyone sensitive to ragweed. It earns its place in the garden with ease, just keep it clear of a spot where a curious pet likes to graze.
Care
The short version: give it full sun, light well-drained soil, and steady moisture while it is young, feed it little or not at all, and deadhead often to keep those cheerful flowers coming.
Light
Give chamomile full sun, ideally six or more hours a day, and it will reward you with plenty of bloom. A little afternoon shade is fine, but anything too dim leaves you with stretched stems and only a handful of flowers.
Water
Keep seedlings and young plants evenly moist while they find their feet. Once settled in, the plant happily rides out a short dry spell, though steady moisture and good drainage give you the fullest, heaviest flowering.
Soil
Set it into well-drained sandy to loamy ground and it will feel right at home. It is easygoing enough to thrive even in poor, low-fertility soil, and it takes a wide pH range from 5.6 to 7.5 without complaint.
Temperature
This is a cool-season herb that stays comfortable from 41°F to 86°F (5°C to 30°C). The seedlings shrug off a light frost, which is exactly why an early start suits it so well.
Humidity
Ordinary humidity around 40% to 60% is all it wants, so there is nothing to fuss over. Outdoors that looks after itself, so put your care into good airflow rather than chasing a number.
Feeding
A light touch is best here. A little compost or a dilute balanced feed at planting is plenty, and too much nitrogen swaps your flowers for leaves, which rather misses the point of growing it.
Pruning
Deadhead and gather the open flower heads often to lengthen the bloom and keep self-seeding in check. Trim back any leggy growth as it turns up to keep the plant looking neat.
Repotting
Chamomile is not really one for repotting, so you can relax on that front. It is grown as a direct-sown or transplanted annual and refreshed each season, which means you simply start fresh rather than potting it on.
Size & spacing
Plants grow 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) tall with a spread of 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). Leave each one a hand's width of room so air can move freely between them.
When to plant
German chamomile is a cool-season annual that likes to start early, so there is no need to wait for warm weather. Sow indoors in late winter or scatter seed straight into the ground come early spring, since the young seedlings take a light frost in their stride. The daisy-like flowers open in early to midsummer, and that is your moment to gather the heads for drying.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring, about 4-6 weeks before the last frost
- Plant: Early spring; cool-season annual whose seedlings tolerate a light frost
- Harvest: White-and-yellow daisy flowers in early to mid summer; harvest flower heads when fully open with petals reflexed
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–8
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Chamomile is a forgiving herb, and the few hiccups that come up around seedlings, sunlight, and its eager seeding are all easy to handle. Most show themselves early, when a small nudge sets things right. Find what matches your plant below, then step in before it spreads.
Seedlings keel over at the soil line
When tiny seedlings flop over with a pinched, water-soaked base, the cause is damping-off, a soilborne fungus that moves in when the surface stays cold and soggy. It is a common stumble and easy to prevent next time. Sow a little thinner in a clean, free-draining mix, water more sparingly, and let the air circulate so the fungus never gets its chance.
Fix:
- Reduce watering
- Improve drainage and airflow
- Sow thinly in a sterile, well-drained seed mix
Sticky buds and curled new growth crawling with tiny insects
If the buds feel tacky and the new tips look crumpled, take a gentle breath, because those little green or black clusters are only aphids and the shine is the honeydew they leave. They flock to soft growth that a heavy feed encourages, so ease off the fertilizer and rinse them away with a firm spray of water. A little insecticidal soap settles a bigger flare-up, and welcoming ladybugs lets nature help you finish the job.
Fix:
- Dislodge aphids with a strong spray of water
- Apply insecticidal soap
- Encourage beneficial insects such as ladybugs
Leggy stems and barely any flowers
A chamomile that grows tall and thin with hardly a bloom is usually just hungry for sunshine, and less than six hours a day leaves it stretched and bare. The good news is that it responds fast once you move it into a brighter, full-sun spot. Ease back on any fertilizer that pushes leaves ahead of flowers, snip off the faded heads, and fresh buds will follow.
Fix:
- Relocate to a full-sun site
- Reduce fertilizing
- Deadhead to encourage more flowers
Chamomile popping up all over the bed next spring
Do not worry if a crowd of little chamomile plants greets you next spring, because this herb is a happy self-seeder and any head left to ripen scatters a whole new generation. Keeping it in bounds is simple, so pick or deadhead the flowers before they drop their seed. Anything that does volunteer lifts out with a light tug while the seedlings are still young.
Fix:
- Deadhead before seed set
- Pull unwanted volunteer seedlings
Toxicity
Chamomile is kind in the cup and only asks for a little care in the garden. The dried flowers brew a tea that is safe for most people to drink, yet the living plant is mildly toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and its oils can leave skin irritated on contact. Simply keep pets from grazing it, and slip on gloves if plant allergies tend to bother you.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
A cat that nibbles the leaves might drool, be sick, or turn away from the food bowl, and the volatile oils can leave its skin a little sore. Steady grazing over a long stretch has been tied to a tendency toward easy bleeding, so it is kindest to keep a curious cat away.
Dogs Mild
A dog that samples the plant may get a queasy stomach, loose stools, and a dulled appetite, none of it usually serious. Repeated brushing against the foliage can redden the skin, and long-term nibbling brings the same gentle bleeding concern.
Horses Mild
A grazing horse can end up with a sour stomach and a touch of mild diarrhea, and the oils now and then leave the muzzle and skin a bit irritated where they touch.
Rabbits Mild
The same volatile oils that trouble cats and dogs unsettle a rabbit's tummy, so it is best to keep the leaves out of reach and offer safer greens for browsing instead.
Livestock Mild
Goats, sheep, and cattle that graze chamomile can show a little digestive upset and skin irritation, though most sensibly leave the bitter, aromatic foliage alone.
Birds Caution
There is not much solid research on birds yet, so play it safe and keep pet birds from picking at the oily leaves and pollen just to be sure.
People Edible as tea
Rest easy about the cup, because the dried flowers brew into a soothing tea that most people can enjoy without trouble. The one thing to watch is your skin: handling the leaves or pollen can bring on contact dermatitis, especially if ragweed and its Asteraceae relatives tend to bother you.
Wear gloves when handling; the foliage and pollen can cause contact dermatitis, especially in people sensitive to ragweed and other Asteraceae.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
A handful of named cultivars are worth knowing, most of them bred for tea growers who want bigger heads or richer oil. These are the ones worth tracking down if you can.
Bodegold
A German tea cultivar prized for its generous flower heads and a strong yield of essential oil.
Bona
A Czech cultivar that trials have found flowers earliest of all, a real gift if you are hoping for an early harvest.
Zloty Lan
A Polish cultivar chosen for its rich bisabolol content and its heavy yield of essential oil.
How to propagate
SeedEasy
Early spring; sow indoors in late winter or direct-sow once soil is workable, as seedlings tolerate light frost · Germinates in about 7-14 days and flowers in roughly 60-65 days
You will find chamomile wonderfully forgiving to raise from seed, whether you start it inside in late winter or scatter it right onto worked spring soil, since the little seedlings brush off a light frost. Just press the seed gently onto the surface and leave it uncovered, because it needs light to germinate. Green sprouts appear in about 7 to 14 days, flowers follow in roughly 60 to 65 days, and any heads you leave behind will kindly reseed the bed for next year.
Myths
German and Roman chamomile are the same plant.
It is an easy mix-up, since they share a family and a use, but they are truly two different species. German chamomile is the upright, self-seeding annual Matricaria chamomilla, while Roman chamomile is the low, mat-forming perennial Chamaemelum nobile. Both make a lovely tea, yet they grow quite differently and carry a different chemistry.
Chamomile is harmless because it makes a soothing tea.
The tea really is gentle, but the growing plant deserves a little more caution than the cup. The ASPCA lists chamomile as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and its volatile oils and acids can bring on dermatitis, an upset stomach, and allergic reactions. If ragweed sets off your allergies, chamomile may do the same.