What's the difference between German and Roman chamomile?

Different species, different growth habits, same characteristic chamomile flowers. German chamomile (Matricaria recutita): annual, upright 60 cm, hollow yellow flower centre — this is the chamomile of tea bags and commercial drying. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile): perennial creeping 15 cm, solid yellow flower centre — used for fragrant chamomile lawns, with smaller and slightly less productive flowers. For tea: plant German. For a lawn: plant Roman (the Treneague non-flowering cultivar is the lawn standard).

When and how do I pick chamomile flowers for tea?

When the white petals are just beginning to reflex (curve backwards) away from the yellow centre — peak essential oil concentration. Pick in dry weather, mid-morning after dew has evaporated. Use scissors or your fingernails to nip the flower head off below the petals. Spread in a single layer on trays and dry in a warm dry airy place for 1–2 weeks; store in a sealed jar away from light. One plant produces enough flowers for several pots of tea per season; six plants gives a year's supply.

Will chamomile come back every year?

German chamomile is annual — each plant lives one season and dies. But it self-seeds so prolifically that the colony perpetuates indefinitely without effort: a single un-deadheaded plant produces hundreds of viable seeds. Roman chamomile (the lawn species) is a true perennial that returns from the rootstock each spring. If your chamomile is creeping low and feathery, it's Roman; if it's upright 60 cm and dies after flowering, it's German.

Can I drink chamomile tea every day?

For most healthy adults, yes — it's one of the safest herbal teas. Traditional UK use is daily and well-tolerated. Avoid or consult a doctor if you're pregnant, on blood-thinning medication (warfarin), allergic to other daisy-family plants (asters, ragweed, marigolds), or about to undergo surgery (within 2 weeks). Some people develop hay-fever-style allergies to chamomile pollen. Children: small quantities of weak tea are traditional but check with your pharmacist for very young ones.

My chamomile is getting mildew — what's wrong?

Crowded planting + damp summer + still air. Thin plants to 20–30 cm apart for good airflow. Water at the base, not over the foliage. Avoid feeding (lush growth is mildew-prone). Mildewed plants can still be cropped (mildew is on the leaves, not the flowers) but flower production drops. Pull badly affected plants and rely on the self-sown seedlings the following year.

Is chamomile good for my garden?

Yes — multiple benefits. The flowers are excellent for bees and hoverflies (especially syrphid flies, which are major aphid predators). German chamomile is also called the plant physician in old herbals because growing it near other plants is supposed to make them more vigorous and disease-resistant — likely an effect of the beneficial insects it attracts. Plant a patch in or near the veg garden for pollinator and pest-control benefits.

Echte Kamille

Matricaria chamomilla

Sow German chamomile direct from March to May, in a sunny well-drained spot in poor-to-ordinary soil — it's an easy hardy annual grown for the daisy-like flowers used in classic chamomile tea. German chamomile is moderately hardy (RHS H4) and grows to 60 cm tall, producing small white-petalled flowers with bright yellow domed centres from June through September. Don't confuse with Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) — the perennial creeping form used for chamomile lawns; same flowers, different plant, different uses. Pick flowers when the white petals start to reflex backwards from the yellow centre (peak essential oil), dry on trays in a warm dry place for 1–2 weeks, store in a sealed jar. German chamomile self-seeds so a single sowing perpetuates indefinitely. Excellent for bees and hoverflies. Avoid in pregnancy and if allergic to other daisy family plants (asters, ragweed).

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