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Dyer's Chamomile
Anthemis tinctoria
Compositae
Call me old fashioned, but
plants like this just belong in domestic gardens.
Upright, feathery, dark
green foliage, with a generous display of yellow gold, daisy
like flowers all through summer, Dyer's Chamomile is distinctive because
everyone is quite sure that they know it by sight.
As it's common name
Dyer's Chamomile suggests, it was used extensively as a dye for colours
ranging from yellow to khaki, depending on the mordant used
to fix the dye.
It sows easily in place as
long as the danger of frost has passed or is some way off.
After a two years it gets a little 'leggy' and a bit
unattractive but by that time it will have sown it's own
seed and the patch just needs to be tidied up.
Medicinally,
Dyer's Chamomile does have
some anti-spasmodic effect which can be useful during
cramping menstruation.
Packet of 100+ seeds $3.30
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