Chamomile has been grown for centuries as a gentle tea herb, loved for its small daisy-like flowers and soft apple-like fragrance. Long associated with cottage gardens, kitchen gardens, and traditional herbal cupboards, chamomile brings a quiet kind of usefulness to the garden.
Gardeners commonly grow two types: German chamomile, an annual that produces tall, airy plants and abundant flowers often dried for tea, and Roman chamomile, a lower-growing perennial also valued for tea, fragrance, groundcover, and soft garden edges. Both bring pollinators, delicate bloom, and old-fashioned beauty to herb gardens, edible flower beds, and quiet corners close to home.
Growing Guide
Timing
Start chamomile indoors about 4–6 weeks before the expected last spring frost, or direct sow in early spring once the soil can be worked. Chamomile grows well in cool to mild weather and can often begin flowering before the strongest heat of summer.
German chamomile is usually grown as an annual and may also be sown in late summer or fall in mild climates. Roman chamomile is a perennial where winter conditions suit it, and young plants can be transplanted in spring after they are well rooted.
Sowing & Starting
Chamomile seed is very small and needs light to germinate. Press seeds gently onto the surface of moist seed-starting mix or prepared garden soil, then cover only barely, if at all.
Keep the surface evenly moist until germination, which usually occurs within one to two weeks. Thin or transplant seedlings so plants have room to fill out. German chamomile can be spaced about 8–12 inches apart, while Roman chamomile may be spaced closer for a low, spreading planting or farther apart where individual plants are preferred.
Returns details
Show customers how much time they have for testing your products
