My favorite flower is the daisy so it is no surprise that I love feverfew with its daisy-like flowers. Feverfew isn’t fussy about soil and though it prefers a sunny spot, it will tolerate a little shade. Add to that the fact that it reseeds readily in the garden providing me with new plants every year and you have the perfect plant.
So where did this “perfect” plant come from? Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a perennial that is native to the Eurasian part of the Mediterranean. It spread throughout the entire Mediterranean area as well as Europe. Then European colonists introduced it to North America where it is hardy through zone 5.
Feverfew has been used as a medicinal plant since Roman times. It’s been used for everything from fevers to arthritis although modern science has proven that it has no real positive effects beyond the placebo effect.
Personally, I don’t know how anyone could stand taking feverfew medicinally. Taken internally, it causes nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and gas. Chewing on it can result in ulcers in the mouth. Just rubbing it on your skin causes contact dermatitis. Feverfew is a blood thinner so you shouldn’t use it if you are taking blood thinners nor should you use it if you are pregnant because it acts as an abortificant.
Feverfew does have its uses as an insect repellent. Its leaves have a strong, bitter odor sometimes described as smelling like citrus. Insects, especially bees, find it distasteful and stay away from it. I usually recommend customers plant feverfew near their outdoor living areas but not in their vegetable gardens where it will keep bees, necessary for pollination, away. If you don’t have any gardens near your outdoor living areas, feverfew grows well in containers.
Feverfew can be grown from seeds, cuttings or by division. Divide your plants in the spring or fall. I prefer the fall so that my divisions have a head start in the spring. Using a shovel, cut the crown into three or four divisions. Plant your divisions at least eighteen inches apart.
Cuttings should be taken in the summer. Make your cuttings 4 to 5 inches long. Strip the leaves from the bottom of the cuttings and dip them into rooting hormone then plant them in a soilless mix. Use a heat mat to keep your cuttings warm. Feverfew develops roots best in warm soil.
To grow feverfew from seed, start it indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost date. Sow your seeds on the surface of your soilless mix. Don’t cover them. The seeds need light to germinate. Germination is within 1 to 2 weeks. Harden off your seedlings and plant them eighteen inches apart in your sunny garden after your last frost date.
Feverfew isn’t fussy about soil. It grows best in rich loamy soil but it will tolerate poorer soils. What it won’t tolerate is wet feet. Make sure you plant it in a well-drained location. It prefers sun, but doesn’t mind a little shade. Mature plants reach a height of 18 to 24 inches and flower all summer provided you deadhead them regularly. It is precisely that habit of reseeding itself all over the garden that most gardeners hate about feverfew. The most common complaint is that once you plant feverfew, you can never get rid of it! That’s not true if you remove the flowers before they form seeds.
I love feverfew’s cheery flowers. Even its lacy foliage is attractive. The foliage should be cut down to the ground in the fall. When the leaves appear again in the spring, prune away any leftover dead foliage to maintain good plant health.
I don’t understand why so many gardeners dislike feverfew. It grows anywhere, in any soil, is easy to propagate and blooms all summer like an annual. It’s the perfect plant!
15 Comments on “Feverfew”
Oh Feverfew looks beautiful! Our grounds are very much xeroscape. We do keep our sprinklers on the plants and herbs, roses, trees, but we don’t have ‘proper grass’ I love any pretty shrubs with flowers and this looks like it will fit in perfectly in our yard. I can’t wait to find it! Thanks so much for the recommendation.
You are so welcome!
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feverfew has most certainly been proven to have medicinal effects. its one of the most potent anti migraine herbs https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3929876/
Hi Lynn, the study only included 17 people, too small to “prove” anything. To be accepted as legitimate proof, the participant pool must number in the hundreds and the study must be replicable, i.e. other scientists have to be able to run the same experiment and get the same results. Neither of these conditions have been met by the study you cited.
Hello Herb Lady! I am sure I can find many flowers and herbs that will grow alongside Feverfew, but am wondering what your favorites may be? I live in Grand Junction, CO with several microclimates, but usually a 6b/7a climate. Very hot, dry summers and cold winters. I am planning a cutting garden separate from my perennial garden, and am thinking it might do well there, since flowers are messy if they get pollinated. Also thinking of planting around my front deck which is shaded in the afternoons and evening. I was thinking Nicotiana and Viscaria? Interested in your thoughts. Thank you!
Neither one of those are considered herbs but I do write about other plants on Dengarden (https://hubpages.com/@oldroses). Here is a link to my article on nicotiana: https://dengarden.com/gardening/How-to-Grow-Nicotiana-Flowering-Tobacco. I am not familiar with viscaria so I can’t offer any advice about it.
Hello herb lady, thank you for sharing info on feverfew. I’m wondering if it should only be planted in pots or if it’s OK to plant in ground. Also, is it best to keep it completely out of the garden because it deters bees? I was planning on adding it to my herb garden. I definitely want to keep the bees as happy as can be. Thank you!
Yes, you can grow it in the ground. If you only have one or two plants, it shouldn’t be a big deterrent for the bees. You will just have fewer bees.
Hi & thanks for the article! I was wondering, do you have a sense of how far away a feverfew’s effect goes? I want to use this near our door (to deter bees & hornets in that area) but don’t want to affect my nearby (4-6 ft. away) kitchen herb garden.
It depends on the wind. Which way do the prevailing winds blow? Towards your kitchen garden? Then, no I wouldn’t plant feverfew so close.
Just found this article via web search for feverfew. A fairly large patch has emerged in front of a fuchsia rhododendron and a tall, drapey spirea bushes. It’s so pretty, very thick, crowding the daisies there. And..butter cups are really trying to take over the entire area. Since I guess the birds planted them, and spend a great deal of time near them, nesting and all, they’re located near the front entry of our home. Noting your article, I consider this a blessing, and will maintain them there for their beauty and protection. Thank you for sharing this info!!
I love the happy flowers of this plant, but I can tell you why at least some gardeners might not like it. It spreads like crazy where I live!
Birds brought the feverfew seed to my shade garden a few years ago. I just love it and it is growing well under my maple tree where my shade garden is. I just thinned it out this spring and it is a great backdrop for my sedium and hostas, as it is only in the back of the garden. I have never deadheaded it or pinched back but I will this year. I am just wondering if I can cut it back instead of deadheading as I can not bend long periods of time.
Although I’ve never tried it, since feverfew is a perennial, you should be able to just cut it back rather than removing individual flowers.