Chamaemelum nobile
Roman chamomile
Common names: English chamomile, Lawn chamomile
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 20 cm, rows 25 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Jun–Aug
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
Roman chamomile is a perennial, mat‑forming herbaceous plant with finely feathered, aromatic leaves and white flowers with a yellow center. Unlike the annual true chamomile, it grows low and spread out, making it well suited as a fragrant lawn substitute or along pathways. Botanically it is called Chamaemelum nobile, and in common usage it is also known as English chamomile or lawn chamomile. It is winter hardy and over the years forms a dense, evergreen mat.
Care instructions
Plant Roman chamomile in a sunny to partially shaded spot with a well‑draining, somewhat sandy soil; it does not tolerate heavy, loamy soil. Space seedlings 20 to 25 cm apart so that the mats can close well, around mid‑May (week 20). Water moderately and allow the soil to dry out between waterings; fertilise sparingly. A pruning after flowering in late summer keeps the growth compact and encourages new shoots. In winter it does not need additional protection in sheltered locations.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May
HarvestJun–Aug
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 10 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, sandy, dry
Roman chamomile likes it lean and free-draining; waterlogged soil quickly makes its shallow roots rot. A sunny, sandy spot with few nutrients comes closest to its natural habitat on pastures and dry grassland. Loosen heavy, loamy soils with sand beforehand, and it will feel at home there too.
Feeding
Light feeder
As an undemanding wild plant, Roman chamomile needs practically no feeding; too many nutrients even weaken its scent and habit. In spring, a thin layer of mature compost is enough, and no more is needed. If you keep the soil lean anyway, you harvest the more compact, more aromatic plants.
Overwintering
Roman chamomile is hardy and survives frost in the bed without special protection, as long as the soil stays well drained. In very wet, heavy soils, a loose mulch layer of brushwood helps so that the roots do not stand in waterlogging. Planted as ground cover, it often stays green even in winter.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
- Cuttings
Sowing works from mid-April · week 16 directly outdoors, or from March started on the windowsill; the seeds are light germinators and are only pressed onto the soil. Established clumps are easily divided in spring or autumn, which rejuvenates the plant, which often turns woody. Non-flowering shoot tips also root reliably as cuttings in sandy seed compost.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Roman chamomile yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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