How to Grow Chamomile (German and Roman Types)
This article is part of our “How to Grow Herbs” series. If you would like to learn more about how to work with this plant after you harvest it, please refer to our Herbal Aromatherapy Certification Program™ here. I also have a full sample lesson on chamomiles from that program available for you to read here.
There are two main types of chamomile that are commonly planted in the garden. The first is German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla, which you will sometimes see referenced as Matricaria recutita or Chamomilla recutita. The other is Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, which you will sometimes see referenced as Anthemis nobilis. Both belong to the Asteraceae (daisy) family.
Growth Habit
German chamomile is an annual plant that grows to about 18-24” tall. Annual plants complete their entire life cycle in one growing season or year, which means that German chamomile plants sprout, mature, set seed and die all over the course of one year and then need to be planted again the next year if you want to grow them again. If you allow the flower heads to dry on the plants until the seeds are fully mature, the plant will often self-sow them, or scatter them around itself, so you might find that allowing some of the plants to go to seed will produce another batch of chamomile plants in the same vicinity the next year.
Chamomile seeds are small and lightweight and I have found that when I allow the plants to self-sow, the seeds can end up scattered all over the garden, so I tend to prefer to allow a few plants to go to seed, then collect the seeds myself so I can scatter them in the beds where I want chamomile to grow instead of allowing the plants and wind to disperse the seeds at random.
The leaves are feathery and delicate and the flower heads are comprised of a cluster of yellow disk florets surrounded by a ring of white ray florets. They kind of look like miniature daisies!
Roman chamomile, on the other hand, is a creeping perennial (hardy to USDA growing zone 4) that stays about 6” tall, though when it sends up flower spikes, they can reach about 12” in height. The plants look similar aside from the height difference. The leaves of both species are feathery, slightly waxy looking and aromatic, pinnately divided and bright green. Both the foliage and the flower heads are aromatic, with a warm, apple-like, sweet scent.
Roman chamomile is often grown as a ground cover plant in zones where it is hardy. It creates a pleasant cushioned surface and integrates well with a biodiverse lawn.
Growing from Seed
German chamomile seeds are direct-sown on the surface of the soil in well-draining, healthy (fed/rich) soil in early spring or late winter as soon as the ground is thawed. Press the seeds into the soil, mist to water them in, and leave them in an area exposed to sunlight to sprout. They need light to germinate.
The plants grow best in full sun but will start to languish once the hotter days of summer arrive. I usually start to pull mine out and replace them with something else by late summer. They will not flourish or create many flowers if grown in shaded areas.
Chamomile plants grow rather well when they are crowded and can support one another as they grow, so there is no need to thin them or worry much about spacing. I sow them pretty densely with good results.
Roman chamomile seeds can be scattered in the fall (do not cover them) and will flower in their second year and spread happily about if given space. Thin the perennial Roman chamomile to about 9” spacing as the seedlings mature. As the plants get older, you can take root cuttings or divide the plants to propagate and multiply them.
Harvesting Flowers
Quick to begin flowering, German chamomile blooms can be harvested every few days throughout the growing season. The plants tend to slow down a little bit once the hot temperatures of summer arrive, but will often continue blooming up until the fall frosts if you do not pull them to make space for something else and if you harvest them regularly so they do not go to seed before that.
Commercial chamomile growers will use chamomile rakes to scoop up the flower heads since harvesting can be time consuming. Jon (my husband) and I can spend 30-45 minutes or more harvesting chamomile blooms together from our small patch when they are at their peak, but it is relaxing, pleasant, aromatic work. To harvest, use your fingers, palm facing upward, to strip the buds from their stems in an upward motion. If you cluster a few stems together as you go, you will often be able to harvest several flower heads at once, though do be careful to leave unopened buds behind so you do not accidentally remove them too early.
Roman chamomile takes longer to begin flowering but the flowers can be harvested in the same way. The tiny native bees in our area, our local honey bees, and lady bugs all adore the chamomile beds.
Learning More
If you would like to learn more about how to work with aromatic plants, I hope you will join me in our Herbal Aromatherapy Certification Program™ here at Floranella! In it, I teach students how to safely and effectively work with over 100 different herbs as well as their applicable essential oils and hydrosols from the garden to the still to the apothecary. I even have a full lesson on chamomiles available in our sample lessons area if you would like to learn more about chamomile first. You can find that lesson here. I hope to see you in class one day!
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Erin! I am the main instructor here at Floranella. I am a clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, artisan distiller and organic gardener based in the Pacific Northwest. Here at Floranella, I teach people how to work with plants safely and effectively from the garden to the apothecary. Thanks for being here! I’m glad you stopped by.
