Roman chamomile

Roman chamomile: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Creeping, mat-forming perennial, 10–30 cm tall and 30–45 cm wide; stems root where they touch the soil.

Leaves

Finely divided, feathery and bright green; strongly apple-scented when crushed. Evergreen.

Flowers

Heads of 1.5–2.5 cm with white ray florets around a domed yellow centre, from June to August.

Scent

The whole plant smells sweet and fruity, like apples, especially after rain or when walked on.

Roots

Shallow and fibrous; runners root easily, so the mat slowly spreads.

Flowering: June–August · Harvest and fruit: June–August · Plants: April–May and September · Pruning: April and August

Why grow it?

• A fragrant, evergreen ground cover for sunny, dry spots.
• You can use it for a small scented lawn, a path or a seating area that smells of apples when you walk on it.
• The flowers attract bees and other small pollinators.
• The dried flower heads are used for chamomile tea.
• Little work: no feeding and only one or two trims a year.

Roman chamomile: where does it grow best?

• Full sun gives the densest mat and the most flowers.
• Light, free-draining soil: sand or loam, acid to neutral.
• Dry to normally moist; it dislikes wet feet in winter.
• As ground cover or a lawn, plant 15–20 cm apart; in a border, 25–30 cm.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.2 m tall, 0.4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Thyme: Another fragrant ground cover for the same sunny, dry spot.
• Lavender: Violet-blue spikes above the low green mat.
• Wild marjoram: Pink clusters for bees and butterflies, on the same poor soil.
• Thrift: Pink pompons above grassy tufts in a dry edge.

Roman chamomile: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May and September.

1. Plant in April–May or in September, when the soil is warm enough for quick rooting.
2. Clear the ground thoroughly of weeds: weeding between chamomile is much harder later on.
3. Loosen heavy soil and mix in some coarse sand or fine gravel for better drainage.
4. Set the plants at the same depth as in the pot, 15–20 cm apart, and firm in lightly.
5. Water in straight away and keep the soil lightly moist for the first weeks, until the plants start growing.
6. Only walk on a chamomile lawn once the mat has fully closed, usually after a year.

Care

Watering

Rarely needed once established. Only in long dry spells in the first year, in the morning.

Feeding

Not needed: on poor soil the mat stays more compact and more fragrant.

Weeding

Weed regularly by hand, especially in the first year, until the mat has closed.

Picking flowers

Pick the flower heads for tea on a dry day, just after they have fully opened, and dry them in an airy place.

Bare patches

Fill gaps in spring with small pieces taken from a dense part of the mat.

Tip: Start with a small chamomile lawn, for example around a bench or between stepping stones: you enjoy the scent without the mat being walked on too much.

Roman chamomile: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April and August.

When: Cut the plant back after flowering, in August. In April, remove any winter damage.

How:

• After flowering, clip off the spent stems and flower heads with shears or a hedge trimmer, just above the mat of leaves.
• Mow a chamomile lawn a few times each summer with the mower on its highest setting.
• In April, remove brown, dead patches so the new shoots get light.
• Cut back runners that are too long if the mat creeps out of its place.

Caution: Do not cut into the bare, woody base of old patches: it is slow to regrow from there.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In April or September, lift a piece of the mat with roots, split it into small pieces and replant them.

Cuttings

In summer, take rooted runners or side shoots of 5–8 cm and pot them up in sandy compost.

Roman chamomile: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• Cold, waterlogged soil is more dangerous than frost: make sure drainage is good.
• In severe winters the leaves may turn brown; in spring the mat greens up again.
• In a pot or trough: make sure there is a drainage hole and keep the pot against a wall, out of the rain, in winter.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: The plant yellows and dies in patches on wet, heavy soil. Improve drainage with sand or gravel and replant.
• Bare patches: Caused by too much foot traffic or too much shade. Fill them with pieces from the mat and walk on it less.
• Weeds: Grasses and weeds grow through an open mat. Weed regularly by hand; lawn weedkiller also kills the chamomile.
• Aphids: Small green aphids on the shoot tips. Blast them off with a strong jet of water; ladybirds will do the rest.

Through the year

• March: Clear the bed of weeds and loosen the soil.
• April: Plant and divide. Cut away winter damage.
• May: Plant. Weed regularly.
• June: Flowering starts. Pick flowers for tea.
• July: Full flower. Pick and dry the flowers.
• August: Cut back after flowering for a dense mat.
• September: Plant and divide. Fill bare patches.
• October: Last weeding. Rake fallen leaves off the mat.
• November: Rest. Do not walk on it when the ground is waterlogged or frozen.

Edible and useful

Flowers (June–August)

Pick the flower heads from June to August on a dry, sunny day, when they have just opened fully. Roman chamomile smells of apple, but tastes stronger and more bitter than true chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla): use a little less. The double form ‘Flore Pleno’ has larger heads and is often grown for tea; ‘Treneague’ does not flower, so it is no use for tea. For tea and a hair rinse.

Storing

Spread the heads in a thin layer on a rack or on paper, somewhere warm and airy out of the sun, and turn them now and then. After one to two weeks they are completely dry. Keep them in the dark in a closed jar for up to a year.

Caution: People allergic to the daisy family (such as ragweed, mugwort, arnica or marigold) may react to Roman chamomile, when drinking it or even just touching it. Drink it in moderation and not during pregnancy. Never swallow the essential oil. Roman chamomile tea is not a medicine: if symptoms persist, see a doctor.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Roman chamomile tea (Tea · 1 cup · 10 min)
• Roman chamomile hair rinse (Skin and body care · 1 session · 10 min + 30 min steeping)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The word chamomile comes from the Greek ‘khamaimēlon’, ‘earth apple’, after its apple scent.
• Roman chamomile is a different plant from German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), an annual of fields with a hollow flower centre.
• The cultivar ‘Treneague’ does not flower, so it can only be propagated by cuttings and division.