Herb · Asteraceae
German Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
Full sun over light, open soil suits German chamomile best: feathery stems crowned with apple-scented daisies through the heart of summer.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
41–86°F · 5–30°C
60–65 days
Overview
German chamomile is an upright, fast-growing annual whose stems branch into a haze of fine, thread-like foliage, each leaf cut into narrow, almost hair-thin segments. Above that feathery green sit the flowers, small white-and-yellow daisy heads, a ring of slim white petals around a raised yellow center. Crush a leaf or a bloom and a sweet, apple-like scent lifts off it, sharp and clean, reaching the nose before the eye finds the plant.
It is a member of the daisy family, and the small flower heads are its whole point. Picked when fully open, with the white petals reflexed back from the swelling yellow center, they are dried for a calming brew. A sunny spot and well-drained soil are all the plant asks, and it holds its color and vigor even on poor, low-fertility ground where fussier herbs thin and pale.
One trait shapes where the plant goes. The dried flowers make a tea safe for most people, but the fresh plant is mildly toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and handling the oily, aromatic foliage can redden the skin of anyone sensitive to ragweed. Its feathery growth earns a place in the garden with ease, kept clear of where a curious pet might graze.
Care
The short version: all-day sun on light, sharply draining soil, evenly damp ground while the seedlings are small, hardly any feeding, and snipped-off spent heads so new daisies keep opening.
Light
Chamomile carries the most flower in full sun, six or more hours a day. A little afternoon shade is fine, but a dim spot stretches the stems pale and thin and leaves only a scatter of heads.
Water
Keep seedlings and young plants evenly moist while the fine roots settle in. Once established the plant rides out a short dry spell, though steady moisture and good drainage swell the heaviest flowering.
Soil
Set it into well-drained sandy to loamy ground. It keeps its color even in poor, low-fertility soil, and it suits a wide pH band from 5.6 to 7.5.
Temperature
This cool-season herb holds up from 41°F to 86°F (5°C to 30°C). The fine seedlings take a light frost, which is why an early start works so well.
Humidity
Average humidity around 40% to 60% is all it needs. Outdoors that looks after itself, so airflow through the feathery stems matters more than any number.
Feeding
A light hand is best. A little compost or a dilute balanced feed at planting is plenty, and too much nitrogen swells leaf at the cost of flower, the opposite of what you grow it for.
Pruning
Deadhead and pick the open heads often to draw out the bloom and hold self-seeding in check. Cut back any leggy, stretched growth as it appears to keep the plant full.
Repotting
Chamomile is not a repotting plant. It grows as a direct-sown or transplanted annual, refreshed each season, so it is started anew rather than potted on.
Size & spacing
Plants stand 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) tall with a feathery spread of 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). A hand's width between them lets air move through the fine foliage.
When to plant
German chamomile is a cool-season annual that greens up early. Sow indoors in late winter or scatter seed onto the ground in early spring, since the fine seedlings take a light frost in stride. The white-and-yellow daisy heads open in early to midsummer, and that is when the petals reflex and the heads are picked 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 an easy herb, but a few troubles surface around its thread-fine seedlings, its need for sun, and its habit of seeding everywhere. Most show early, written plainly in the leaves and stems. Match what you see below, then act before it spreads.
Seedlings keel over at the soil line
A thread-thin seedling that darkens, turns glassy and water-soaked right at the soil line, and folds flat is showing damping-off, a soil fungus that strikes in cold, sodden ground. The pinched base can no longer hold the stem upright. Thin sowing in a sterile, free-draining mix, less water, and moving air keep the fungus from ever setting in.
Fix:
- Reduce watering
- Improve drainage and airflow
- Sow thinly in a sterile, well-drained seed mix
A sticky gloss over the buds and curled shoot tips packed with tiny bodies
The pinhead specks massed on the buds, soft-bodied and green or black, are aphids, and the glassy shine coating the stems is their honeydew. Soft, sappy growth from heavy feeding draws them, so lighten the feed and rinse the colony off with a firm jet of water. Insecticidal soap clears a thick, crusted outbreak, and ladybugs keep patrolling the tender tips afterward.
Fix:
- Dislodge aphids with a strong spray of water
- Apply insecticidal soap
- Encourage beneficial insects such as ladybugs
Leggy stems and barely any flowers
Pale, elongated stems reaching upward with only a stray flower head between them point to too little sun, since under six hours a day chamomile stretches thin and blooms poorly. A full-sun spot fills the stems back out and returns the flowers. Easing off nitrogen tips the balance from leaf to bloom, and clipping the spent heads draws fresh buds along the stems.
Fix:
- Relocate to a full-sun site
- Reduce fertilizing
- Deadhead to encourage more flowers
Feathery chamomile seedlings carpeting the bare soil next spring
A carpet of fine, thread-leaved seedlings scattered across the bed come spring is chamomile working as a heavy self-seeder, every ripe head shedding a dust of tiny seed nearby. Cutting or deadheading the heads before they dry and split holds the seed in check. Whatever still sprouts, feathery and small, lifts out with the lightest tug.
Fix:
- Deadhead before seed set
- Pull unwanted volunteer seedlings
Toxicity
Chamomile is gentle in the cup and only asks for care in the hand. The dried flower heads brew a tea that is safe for most people to drink, yet the living plant is mildly toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and the oils in its foliage can redden skin on contact. Keep pets from grazing it, and wear gloves if you are prone to plant allergies.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
A cat that bites into the feathery foliage may drool, vomit, and turn from its food, and the volatile oils can leave the skin reddened where they touch. Steady grazing over time has been tied to a tendency toward easy bleeding.
Dogs Mild
A dog that mouths the fine leaves usually gets an upset stomach, loose stools, and a dull appetite. Repeated contact reddens the skin, and long-term nibbling carries the same bleeding concern.
Horses Mild
A grazing horse can come away with a sour stomach and mild diarrhea, and the oils sometimes leave the soft skin of the muzzle irritated where the foliage brushes it.
Rabbits Mild
The same volatile oils that trouble cats and dogs unsettle a rabbit's gut, so the fine leaves are best kept out of reach in favor of safer greens.
Livestock Mild
Goats, sheep, and cattle that graze chamomile may show digestive upset and skin irritation, though most turn from the bitter, aromatic foliage on their own.
Birds Caution
Firm data on birds is thin, so the safe course is to keep pet birds from picking at the oily leaves and the fine yellow pollen.
People Edible as tea
Dried and steeped, the small flower heads yield a soothing tea that is safe for most people to drink. The skin is the catch, since handling the leaves or the powdery pollen can bring on contact dermatitis, especially in anyone who reacts to ragweed and its Asteraceae kin.
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 few named cultivars stand out, most of them bred for tea growers who want bigger heads or richer oil. These are the ones worth seeking out.
Bodegold
A German tea cultivar bred for its large flower heads and a high yield of essential oil.
Bona
This Czech selection is the one trials record opening its flowers first each year, so the earliest harvest comes off its heads.
Zloty Lan
A Polish cultivar selected for its rich bisabolol and a 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
Chamomile rises easily from dust-fine seed, started under cover in late winter or scattered onto worked spring soil, since the seedlings shrug off a light frost. The seed rests on the bare surface and stays uncovered, because it needs light to germinate. Thread-thin sprouts break through in about 7 to 14 days, the plants flower in roughly 60 to 65 days, and any heads left to ripen reseed the bed for next year.
Myths
The German form and the Roman form of chamomile are the identical plant.
They share a family and a use, yet they are 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 brew into tea, but they differ in growth habit and chemistry.
Nothing in chamomile can hurt you when its tea is so mild.
One thing fills the cup, another grows in the bed. The fresh, aromatic foliage holds oils and acids that can redden skin, sour the stomach, and stir up allergic reactions, and the ASPCA flags the plant as toxic for dogs, cats, and horses. A ragweed allergy is fair warning that the living plant may bother you as well.