Tanacetum parthenium
To many in the herbal medicine residential area , feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium ) is known as a natural headache remedy .
But in the horticulture biotic community , this shrubby herb is appreciate as an attractive landscape industrial plant .
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Continue on to learn all about growing Chrysanthemum parthenium in your garden . Here ’s what I ’ll cover :
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to Grow
Cultivars to Select
sustainment
Propagation
Pests and Disease
Harvesting
Preserving
Let ’s memorise more !
Common name(s):Feverfew , featherfew , antipyretic works , feather-foil , midsummer daisy , flirtwort , wild chamomile
industrial plant case : Short survive perennial herb
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):5 - 10
Native to : Southeastern Europe
Bloom sentence : Summer
Exposure : Full sun
ground case : sandlike or loamy , well debilitate
Soil pH:6.0 - 7.0 , slenderly acid to neutral
meter to maturity:80 - 90 day
Spacing : 12 inch
Planting depth:1/4 in ( source )
Mature size:8 - 24 inches all-embracing x 8 - 24 inches high
Water Needs : Moderate
Taxonomy
parliamentary procedure : Asterales
Family : Asteraceae
Genus : Tanacetum
Species : genus Parthenium
cultivar : Various
Masses of one - inch , whitened , daisy - like flowers with large chicken centers rise on spindly stems above parsley - alike leave .
Feverfew , which you might also see referred to asMatricaria parthenoides , Chrysanthemum parthenium , featherfew , febrifuge plant , featherfoil , midsummer daisy , flirtwort , or unfounded chamomile , grows anywhere from eight to 24 inch tall , with a width of about the same range .
This extremity of the aster crime syndicate behaves like an annual in cooler zone , a perennial in some areas , and it can be evergreen in warmer southerly climate .
Though it looks similar , it ’s not to be mix up with straight camomile , whichyou can read more about here .
While native to southeastern Europe , T. partheniumis now widespread throughout Europe , Australia , and North America , where it grows inUSDA Hardiness Zones5 to 10 .
Used for many centuries in herbal medicinal drug , it became popular in the eighteenth one C after botanist and source John Hill referred to it in “ The Family Herbal ” as the most useful cure for address headaches .
Though its name may propose an ability to lower body temperature , feverfew is rather mainly relied upon medicinally to treat and prevent concern . It has also been used to save the symptom of arthritis and digestive job .
All parts of the industrial plant that grow above ground may be used in medicines , but most commercial products use the leaves .
legion studies assessing the effectiveness of feverfew as a worry treatment have been convey , and in 2005a German study from H.C. Diener et . al.found that incidents of migraine headache were reduced in patients who have feverfew infusion .
Scientists are still bring to identify the substance in the industrial plant that offers the good impression .
Whether you ’re civilise it for its instinctive headache - relieving potential or merely to enjoy its decorative flair , feverfew is a honest and resilient performer .
Interestingly , this plant has a firm citrus - like smell that fight off bee , so do n’t placeT. partheniumnear industrial plant that rely on bees for pollenation .
Feverfew can self - pollinate and does n’t require assistant from pollinators .
Let ’s take a smell at the key elements to help this versatile herb thrive .
Light
Feverfew thrivesin full sun , requiring at least six hour of direct sunlight each day .
While it can tolerate a bit of afternoon spook , especially in hot climate , it performs adept in cheery point where it can souse up lighting throughout the day .
Too much refinement can induce the plants to become leggy and dilute blush output .
Soil
This herbaceous plant prefers well - draining soil that leans on the acidulous side , though it tolerates a wide range of soil types .
A arenaceous or loamy metier with a pH between 6.0 to 6.7 is ideal . If your soil is especially hard or tends to hold water , amend it with compost to improve drainage
Feverfew is n’t fussy , but it wo n’t flourish in soggy conditions .
Temperature and Humidity
Feverfew is a sturdy perennial in USDA Zones 5 through 10 , and it grows as an one-year or biennial in cooler or warmer areas .
It prefers mild to warm temperatures and can withstand light rime , but it does n’t bask utmost heat or humidity .
In humid regions , make certain plants are well - spaced to advertize air circulation and dilute the endangerment of fungous issues .
Water
plant should be watered a couple of time a workweek in the absence of rainfall to keep roots moist throughout the year .
Feverfew wo n’t tolerate wry conditions and prefers to grow in slightly dampish soil , so you should provide adequate weewee for the soil to continue moist , though not soggy .
Fertilizer
Feverfew is n’t a heavy feeder . In average garden soil , it often does fine without supplemental feeding .
If you are growing in poor territory , you’re able to apply a light , balanced fertilizer each spring , such as this all - intention organic fertiliser from Down to Earth , available from Arbico Organics .
Down to Earth Fertilizer
Alternatively , mix compost into the soil before planting for a easy alimentary rise .
Container Growing
Feverfew adapts well to container aliveness , making it a great candidate for patios , balconies , or herb garden in small-scale spaces .
Choose a pot at least 10 inches deep with just drainage holes . Use a well - enfeeble potting mix and water regularly to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy .
Containers dry out out faster than garden beds , so be fain to irrigate more frequently . Position gage in full sun and rotate them now and then to keep the plant grow equally .
T. genus Parthenium , the species plant , is promptly available from your local industrial plant glasshouse or online .
T. parthenium
you may purchase packets of 100 seedsfrom Earthbeat Seeds .
Double White
‘ Double White ’ have full doubled , creamy white blossom with chickenhearted centers .
plant grow to a mature meridian of 24 in grandiloquent .
White Bonnet
‘ White Bonnet ’ is a double - flowered cultivar with frilly ashen flower petal surrounding a white-livered nitty-gritty .
Ideal for bungalow gardens or container growing , expect a matured height of 18 inch .
Feverfew reseed quite generously and can even be believe invasive , so keep an centre out for an copiousness of emerge volunteer seedling , and remove them as necessary .
Deadhead pass blossomsor reduce still - vibrantflowers for arrangementsto keep up yield of flush . Deadheading also helps to prevent excessive ego - seeding .
you’re able to also turn out back leggy stems , though you should never remove more than a third of the flora at once .
In areas where it is growing as a perennial , you’re able to snub down the foliage to ground stage in the fall , and mulch to a great extent to protect the rootage during stale winters .
You canstart seed indoorsin tardy winter , or lineal sow in your garden after all risk of hoar has passed .
you could also transplant seedling from a garden heart and soul ordivide existing plants .
From Seed
Direct sow seeds after the last rime , barely covering them with quarter of an inch of soil . you may constitute in rows a few inches aside and thin to a foot aside once plants are a few column inch high . Keep the dirt moist until germination .
To get an early commencement , you may also sow seeds indoors in outflow , about five to seven weeks before the last Robert Frost .
Scatter seed in flats fill with a well draining seed starting admixture and pack them down lightly , barely covering them as light aids sprouting .
Cover with a covered stadium lid and prepare in a bright location , keeping it evenly moist until seedling emerge . Expect germination to take 10 to 14 days .
Transplants
Transplants can be planted out in the garden after last Robert Lee Frost , once at least two straight leaves have emerged . Plant in hole as deep as the theme testis , space works about a foot asunder .
Any garden soil is fine as feverfew is large-minded of pitiable soils . water system thoroughly after planting .
By Division
Feverfew origin lie in of a thick taproot with many branching rootstock .
To part a matured plant , labour a rotary about a foot deep and a few column inch wider than the plant and arise it from the ground in leap or fall , using a digger to rationalise the crown into three or four chunks .
Replant division 18 inches apart at the same depth as the roots were mature before and water well .
This white and yellow ravisher is relatively disease barren , but you should still keep an optic out for the occasional problem .
Aphidscan occasionally blight feverfew . If they become an exit , spray off plants with a strong flow of waterfrom the hoseoften does the trick .
For grave infestations , you may seek a homemade insecticidal soap by merge one tablespoonful of complete liquid soap and two teaspoonful of cook fossil oil into a dry quart of water to spray on foliage whenever you observe signs of aphids .
Slugscan also make hole in the leaves . You may mark wilt leaf and a despicable residue where slugs have been . you’re able to remove them easily by handpicking at twilight or after rainwater .
Diatomaceous earthorcoffee groundssprinkled around the base of plants will also help to deter slugs .
Aster yellows disease can also be a problem . The onlycure for aster yellows is prevention . utilise diatomaceous ground or insecticidal liquid ecstasy to kill the bugs that spread this bacterial disease . Infected flora must be pulled up and discarded .
Finally , feverfew is sometimes susceptible topowdery mildewif planted in a fishy area , but this can be well avoided by selecting a location that invite full sun .
leafage can be harvest any time during the time of year , and bloom can be harvested as soon as they start blossom . The of the essence oils in the plant are in high spirits just as florescence is beginning .
plunk flowers in mid - aurora after the dew has dry . When harvesting the farewell , never clean more than a third of the industrial plant at once .
you may also harvest the seeds to keep open for succeeding plantings . Once the works is done anthesis and seed heads have dry out , abbreviate the stems and hang up them upside down in a newspaper handbag for a few days in a dark , dry emplacement .
you could read to reap feverfew in our guide .
you’re able to practice the heyday fresh in teatime or dry out them for later usage .
If you have a dehydrator you could dry the leaves and flush on a low circumstance . Otherwise you could cling the stems in big bucks and hang them upside down in a sullen , dry location for several days .
Remove the dried flowers and leaf from the stem and store in a tightly sealed jounce in a dark closet .
Find more info on drying and hive away herbs here .
you’re able to make a tincture of the fresh or dry out leaves and flowers by instill them in a jounce of alcohol . hive away the shock in a drab location for several weeks , shaking it day by day . After about six weeks , you may strive out the plant material .
Feverfew vestige can be used as a therapeutic for headaches . Always speak to a health care professional before using herbal product .
Cures a Headache and a Dreary Garden
Whether you have a headache or just want to fill an empty billet in your landscape painting , cheerful Tanacetum parthenium is a plant deserving considering .
recollect its bee - repelling properties , though , when you plant it ! You do n’t need to rob neighboring plant oftheir much - needed pollinators .
hold out these article next to expose more easy to uprise beautiful and medicinal flowering herbs :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally issue September 11th , 2017 . Last update April 24th , 2025 . Revised and expanded from an original clause by Gretchen Heber . Cartesian product pic via Arbico Organics and Earthbeat Seeds . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
The stave at Gardener ’s Path are not aesculapian professional and this article should not be see as medical advice destine to assess , diagnose , prescribe , or prognosticate cure . Gardener ’s Path and Ask the Experts , LLC assume no indebtedness for the use or misuse of the material salute above . Always refer with a medical professional before changing your dieting or using plant life - free-base remedies or supplements for health and wellness .
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Heather Buckner
