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This aromatic heirloom herb can be grown as a perennial ground cover and tolerates light foot traffic once established. It forms a low, spreading mat through creeping rhizomes, making it well suited for paths and garden edges. While it produces fewer blooms than annual chamomile types, it shares many of the same traditional culinary, tea, and medicinal uses. The flavor and aroma are notably fruity and milder, with less bitterness than German chamomile. Grown as an annual ornamental in many regions, it performs best in bright, sunny locations and well-drained soil.
German Chamomile seeds—also known as Matricaria chamomilla, Matricaria recutita, or simply “true chamomile”—come from an herb long treasured in Europe and the Middle East for its soothing aroma and medicinal teas, with use dating back to ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman times. Plants grown from these seeds are airy and delicate, producing feathery foliage and masses of small, daisy-like white flowers with cheerful yellow centers that release a sweet apple-like fragrance when brushed. German Chamomile is an annual that readily reseeds, thrives in full sun, and prefers well-drained, moderately rich soil; sow the tiny seeds on the surface, as they need light to germinate, and keep the soil lightly moist until seedlings establish. Once growing, chamomile is low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and blooms reliably, making it an easy and rewarding herb for tea lovers and pollinator gardens alike.
