Huge German Chamomile

15 years ago

I live here on Long Island, New York. The perrenials in my garden are oregano and parsley. They say parsley is a biennial so this is the second year and I guess it may not come back next year. My sage also came back this year. I wasn't expecting my chamomile to come back but it did. Last year was the first year i grew it and it was maybe a foot high. Well it came back in a big way! It has to be almost three feet tall. My question is how do i prune it? I know the flowers themselves are the important thing but can I cut the whole stalks and expect them to regrow this season? How low do I cut them? Thanks.

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Comments (5)

Daisyduckworth
15 years ago
Lawnmower!
links272
Original Author
15 years ago
So i take it you are not a huge fan of putting chamomile in a garden with a bunch of basil, one thyme, one parsley, a sage plant, a rosemary plant a vietnamese coriander plant and another perrenial I forget to mention the first time, chives? Seriously though, the chamomile is in the front facing the sun and it is so lanky that I have to keep it propped up with something or it just falls all over the other plants. I never thought the plant could get that tall.
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links272
Original Author
15 years ago
But seriously Daisy......can you just prune chamomile like any other herb, just above a branch with leaves? I actually would like to cut then in half so they are only a foot high or so. Thanks.
Daisyduckworth
15 years ago
It is usually advised to cut back chamomile in autumn, to promote new growth. To me, this says 'lawnmower' - but on a high setting, perhaps. In a mixed garden bed, perhaps 'hedge-cutter' would be better! I suggest leaving the plants for this year, if you want the flowers, then cutting them right back in autumn. Meantime, you could try to stake them together, or thread them through some portable trellis.

However, a more radical solution would be to get rid of the weedy German chamomile, Matricaria recutita, entirely - and replace it with the smaller and better-behaved Roman (English) chamomile, Anthemis nobilis. They are both used medicinally in exactly the same way, for the same purposes. Make sure the A.nobilis is NOT the variety 'Treneague' which does not flower, and which is best for lawns.
nattydoll
12 years ago
links272, did you plant these from seed or transplant the first year? If so, what time of year did you do put them in?

I in NYC, so we have the same climate. I am a newbie, and considering they are a wildflower growing all over the state, I thought it'd be easy! The German seed packet says "start indoors any time of year". I started some inside *and* outside 3 weeks ago. The seedlings are so small inside, and very weak. I haven't been able to identify them - if they are there, haha - in my lawn or beds.

But then there are also people saying it blooms in early spring, then another crop in fall... Yet, you had them in June.

In my *uninformed* opinion, if it acts like other herbs, and if it will indeed rebloom in fall, can you trim them by pinching off branches? Try some that way, and some the way you suggested, so they are shorter. Please share your results, I like an experiment :)