Publish Time: 2023-03-24 Origin: Site
If you like to unwind your day with a soothing cup of chamomile tea, you'll love the convenience of home-grown chamomile.Easy to grow, harvest, and use, chamomile looks lovely planted among vegetables in the garden, hidden in a raised bed filled with herbs, or added to a pretty container on a patio or balcony.Not only does chamomile add a beautiful and sweet aroma to the garden, but it's also a wonderful companion plant that can call beneficial insects (think pollinators) to visit your garden.Companion growers swear by the scent of chamomile, which also helps repel some pests.In other words, the benefits of chamomile extend far beyond the tea. In fact, the ancient Greeks,Egyptians, and Romans raved about chamomile, using it as a herbal remedy for everything from inflammation to insomnia.For many years, though, the dried, crushed chamomile flowers and leaves have been most commonly used in teas to aid sleep, relieve anxiety, and ease an upset stomach.
Buy Bonnie Plants Chamomile from your favorite retailer.You can find retailers in your area here.
Wait until after the last spring frost before adding chamomile to your garden.It grows well in raised beds,containers, and in underground gardens.
Space chamomile plants 8 inches apart in full sun for best flowering.In hot climates, an area with partial shade in the afternoon is ideal.
Mix compost or other organic matter into the soil when planting.
Water immediately after planting, then 1 inch per week until well established.
Mix a sustained-release fertilizer into the soil at planting and top up as directed during the growing season.
Spread mulch (such as chopped leaves or straw) around plants to help keep the soil moist.
If the chamomile becomes top-heavy and floppy, add support, such as bamboo skewers wrapped around the plant.
Use pruning sheets to harvest flowers after flowering when petals start to bend back.
Use fresh or dried chamomile.Dry flowers and foliage completely on a screen out of direct sunlight.
Store dried chamomile in an airtight jar in a dark,dry place such as a pantry.
Soil,Planting and Care
Chamomile, as you might guess from its pretty white flowers with a yellow center, is a member of the daisy family (compositae).When you look for chamomile, you'll find two types: Roman chamomile, a slow-growing perennial used primarily as a ground cover; and common chamomile (aka German chamomile), a more upright An annual plant, most popular in tea and herb gardens.While the flowers and leaves of both varieties are edible, Roman chamomile tends to have a bitter flavor, which is why we recommend growing common chamomile for sweetness.With a light apple flavor, it is a delicious edible flower used in tea and cooking.Choose Chamomile from Bonnie Plants.With over 100 years of experience growing healthy, strong plants for home gardeners, you can be confident your plants are vibrant and ready to make their new home in your garden.(Did you know we grow in over 70 greenhouses across the country? That means our plants don't have to travel long distances to get to your local retail location, so they're less stressful to transport.)Chamomile blooms best in full sun, but it will also grow in partial shade.In fact, in hot southern climates, chamomile benefits from afternoon shade, which will help keep the flowers from drooping.Before planting chamomile, prepare the garden bed by adding compost or other organic material to the soil, especially if your soil is mostly clay or sand.
Chamomile likes rich soil with a pH between 5.6 and 7.5.To give your chamomiles a head start, add Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics™ All-Purpose Subsoil enriched with aged compost to your garden beds.Organic matter like this helps the soil retain water while improving drainage, which is especially important for clay soils.Chamomile also grows beautifully in raised beds and containers, but each requires a different, lighter soil. When growing in pots, fill them with a lightweight, high-quality potting mix, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics™ Multi-Purpose Container Mix, which contains nutrient-rich compost.For raised beds, use Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics™ Raised Bed Mix, which provides excellent drainage and vital nutrients for strong root development and plant growth.Once you've improved the soil, it's time to plant seeds! Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the plant's root ball.Remove the chamomile plant from the pot and gently loosen the roots.Place the plant in the hole so that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil.Fill the rest of the hole with more soil, pressing firmly but lightly around the base of the plant.Water thoroughly to settle the plant and remove air pockets in the soil.Chamomile's shallow roots benefit from a layer of mulch around the base of the plant, which helps prevent weeds and retains soil moisture.If adding several chamomile plants, space them about 8 to 12 inches apart for good air circulation.
Chamomiles need about an inch of water per week when they are young. Once established, it's fairly drought tolerant - let it dry out between waterings, but make sure to water during periods of extreme drought.The best way to know if chamomile needs to be watered is to stick your index finger into the soil about an inch deep near the base of the plant. If it's moist - no need for watering. If it's dry, it's time to give it a drink!Because chamomile stems that grow about 2 feet tall can become floppy in poor, nutrient-poor soil, be sure to fertilize the plant regularly.In flower beds, use a sustained-release fertilizer, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules, started one month after planting and continued throughout the growing season (see label directions). Simply pull back the mulch, spread the fertilizer around the base of the plants, and replace the mulch before watering.To easily feed container-grown chamomile, use a water-soluble fertilizer like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition weekly or biweekly throughout the growing season.