Expert Shares Feverfew Growing Tips For This Prolific Self Seeder
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
IN THIS GUIDE
Feverfew is an attractive daisy-like herbaceous perennial which can be both useful and attractive in a garden.
It’s a good choice for a perennial border, or in the guilds of beneficial companion plants for fruit trees in your garden.
To benefit your plants, and the garden ecosystem as a whole, feverfew can often be a good choice.
Overview
| Botanical Name | Tanacetum parthenium |
| Common Name(s) | Feverfew |
| Plant Type | Perennial Herb |
| Native Area | Balkan Peninsula, Anatolia and the Caucasus |
| Hardiness Rating | H6 |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Flowers | Yellow |
| When To Sow | March, April, May |
| Flowering Months | June, July, August |
Sunlight
Preferred
Full Sun or Partial Shade
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Size
Height
0.1 – 0.5M
Spread
0.1 – 0.5M
Bloom Time
June – August
Soil
Preferred
Loam, sand
Moisture
Well-drained
pH
Any
Feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium, is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae (Daisy) plant family.1Tanacetum parthenium. (n.d.). North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tanacetum-parthenium/
It is a small perennial which grows around 50cm high, and has an eventual spread of up to around 50cm, with a bushy form.
It has aromatic pinnately lobed ovate leaves and bears small daisy-like flowers with white petals and a yellow centre in the summer months.
This plant is native to the Balkan Pensinsula, Anatolia and the Caucasus – but it is cultivated all over Europe and also common in other parts of the world.2Tanacetum parthenium. (n.d.-b). Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:252460-1
Why Grow Feverfew?
Feverfew is an attractive ornamental plant that requires very little work, so it can be a great choice for a low-maintenance garden.
Though relatively short-lived, feverfew is a perennial plant that will grace your garden for a number of years – and since it is a prolific self-seeder, if you allow it to go to seed it should reseed itself in an area and come back for many years to come.
“In my own garden, I grew this plant from seed once about ten years ago,” explains Colin Skelly, a Master Horticulturist.
“From the original five or six feverfews that were planted, many hundreds have since germinated, grown and set seed again.
“Every year I edit the seedlings, keeping around 10% of them. If I didn’t do this the feverfew would very rapidly spread and dominate.”
Further sowing will not usually be required as long as the plant is growing in a suitable location.
Feverfew can bring several benefits while growing in your garden.
For example, it is said to naturally repel a range of insect pests while in active growth (though it must be said that this may be anecdotal and scientific evidence is lacking).3Agriculture | Province of Manitoba. (n.d.). Feverfew. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/crop-management/print,feverfew.html
Some say that this makes it a good companion plant for a range of other perennial plants – you might also consider placing it close to a doorway or seating area to keep bothersome insects away.
Feverfew also provides a range of yields which can be useful in the home and garden.
Here are some pictures I took of Feverfew growing in the Glastonbury 2022 Permaculture Garden – a care and wellness garden run by Mike Feingold.
Feverfew Cultivars
In addition to growing the common Tanacetum parthenium, you can also consider some variants.
Some popular named cultivars of feverfew include:
‘Golden Feather’
Botanical Name: T. parthenium ‘Aureum’
Bright lime-coloured leaves.
‘Snowball’
Botanical Name: T. parthenium ‘Snowball’
Puffy, globe-shaped flowers in pure white.
‘White Bonnet’
Botanical Name: T. parthenium ‘White Bonnet’
Double flowers in white with yellow centres.
How To Grow Feverfew
Feverfew is a quintessential cottage garden plant, and works well in informal and varied cottage garden-style planting schemes.
It can work well in perennial borders, or in a dedicated perennial herb garden area.
Due to its pest-repelling properties, feverfew may be beneficial for aphid control near roses, or be included on the sunny fringes of a fruit tree guild.
Feverfew does require plenty of sunshine, so place it in full sun.
It can cope with a location that is exposed or sheltered – but does not cope well with maritime exposure.
Soil Requirements
One of the most important things to remember is that feverfew does require a well-drained loamy or sandy soil, though it is relatively unfussy when it comes to pH and fertility.
In fact, it can even be grown in or on a stone wall and can also do well in containers providing that they provide sufficient drainage.
Sowing & Planting
Feverfew seeds can be sown from March indoors, or direct sown in the garden after all risk of frost has passed, in April or May.
Indoors sown plants are planted out between May and July.
The seeds should just barely be covered, and it is important to make sure that the pot or seed tray does not dry out.
Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, they can be pricked out into individual plants to grow on before you plant them out into their final growing positions.
Companion Plants
Feverfew can work well under rose bushes, and pairs well with hardy geraniums (cranesbill), clovers, and Cerinthe major, as well as a range of other traditional cottage garden plants.
You can also grow it in a herb garden with other perennial herbs – such as those Mediterranean herbs which also like free-draining conditions.
Feverfew Plant Care
Feverfew is a very easy plant to grow and could easily take over your garden beds if you let it, due to the ease with which it self seeds.
This is a great choice for those who do not have a lot of time to tend their garden, or who would like to quickly achieve a garden with an abundant look and feel.
Watering
Once feverfew is in its final growing position in your garden, it will be relatively drought tolerant and will only require watering in extremely dry conditions, or when it is grown in containers.
The soil should be moist but must be free draining – it is important not to overwater your plants.
Feeding
Feeding feverfew is unnecessary, and in fact, this is a plant that can thrive in poor conditions.
Deadheading
Deadheading feverfew will prevent the plants from self-seeding prolifically.
So if you want to keep these more contained, then deadhead the plants before seeds form.
Alternatively, collect the seeds from the plant so you can control where you want them to go and plant them next year.
Or simply let the plants self-seed for a more natural and low-maintenance scheme.
Propagation
If you want to make new plants from the existing feverfew plants in your garden, you can divide the plants as you would other herbaceous perennials to make new plants.
However, it is important to note that divided plants do not typically live very long, so this is not usually very useful.
Save the seeds to propagate new plants, or, as mentioned above, let them self-seed and let nature do the work for you.
