Dyer’s chamomile

Anthemis tinctoria

Bushy short-lived perennial with finely cut grey-green foliage and abundant bright yellow daisy flowers from midsummer onwards. Flowers produce a clean fresh yellow textile dye.

Hardiness ratings

Dyer’s chamomile hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 3–7 −40 °C to −12.2 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 3–7 −34 °C to −7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–5 −15 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Yellow dye extracted from the dried flower heads — picked at full bloom over many weeks of flowering
  • Distinct from the medicinal Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) — Anthemis tinctoria is grown for the flowers as a dyestuff rather than for tea
  • Short-lived perennial — replace every 3–4 years, or allow self-seeding to maintain stand
  • Drought tolerant and unfussy — succeeds on poor soils

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Dyer’s chamomile against your zones

Reference

Dyer’s chamomile on Wikipedia