Herb · Asteraceae
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
Give it full sun and lean, dry soil, and feverfew hands you white daisies all summer long.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
90–120 days
USDA 5–9
Overview
Feverfew is a tough, cheerful perennial in the daisy family, and all through the warm months it's covered in small white flowers with bright yellow centers. It grows fast and barely asks for anything, which is exactly why it slipped out of old cottage gardens and into beds, borders, and herb patches all over the cooler parts of the world. Brush against the aromatic, ferny leaves and you'll get why it's part of the Tanacetum crowd, a close cousin of tansy and the chrysanthemums.
So what's it good for? Two things, really. The daisies are great cut flowers and a pollinator magnet, and the plant's got a long folk-medicine history that still hangs around in its name. Leave it completely to its own devices, though, and it self-sows hard, so a tidy little clump can drift into a loose colony in a season or two.
None of that makes it tricky to grow, don't worry. Give feverfew some sun, soil that drains well, and a haircut once it's done blooming, and it'll come back year after year and seed the gaps for free besides. The only thing to keep half an eye on is the spreading, and a bit of deadheading keeps that in check.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean and well-drained soil, and a good deep drink only once the top half of the soil has dried out. Deadhead through the season, shear it back after it blooms, and it pretty much looks after itself.
Light
Feverfew flowers best in full sun, though it'll take a bit of light partial shade. Push it into deeper shade, though, and you'll trade flowers for floppy, leggy growth, so just give it the brightest spot you've got.
Water
Once it's settled in, feverfew is drought-tolerant and really doesn't like wet feet. Water it deeply, but only when the top half of the soil has dried out, which usually means somewhere around every 7 to 14 days, and let it dry out again between drinks.
Soil
Plain well-drained garden soil suits it just fine, and it'll even shrug off poor, dry ground. Shoot for a pH between 6.0 and 7.5 and make sure water drains away freely, because soggy soil is the one thing it really won't forgive.
Temperature
Feverfew is seriously hardy, taking the cold down to about -20°F (-29°C) and brushing off summer heat up to 90°F (32°C). That kind of range is what lets it overwinter as a perennial across a big swath of temperate gardens.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air is all it wants, so there's really no number to fuss over. It's happy in the 40% to 60% range that most gardens already sit at, and honestly good airflow matters way more than the reading.
Feeding
This is a light feeder that actually does better in lean soil, believe it or not. One light dose of balanced fertilizer or a little compost in spring is plenty, since heavy feeding just gives you soft growth that flops over and pulls in aphids.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent flowers through the season to keep the bloom going and rein in its heavy self-seeding. Once it's done flowering, shear it back hard for fresh compact regrowth, then cut it right down in late fall or early spring.
Repotting
If you've got feverfew in a container, repot it annually or whenever it outgrows the pot. Roots circling the soil, a dip in vigor, or soil that dries out almost the second you water it are all signs it wants more room.
Size & spacing
Plants get to 18 to 35 inches (45 to 90 cm) tall and form clumps 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) across. Give each one about that much space so air can move freely and the roots aren't sitting in trapped moisture.
When to plant
Feverfew runs on the seasons, and it's an easy rhythm to follow. Start seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost or just sow it straight into the ground in spring, set the young plants out once the cold's gone, and the white daisies open from early summer all the way through fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6-8 weeks before last frost
- Plant: Spring after danger of frost has passed
- Harvest: White daisy-like flowers with yellow centers from early-mid summer through fall; long bloom period
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–9
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Feverfew hardly ever gives you grief, and when it does, it usually traces back to too much water, too little sun, or its own eagerness to seed. Find the thing that matches what you're seeing below, then jump in early while the fix is still easy.
Wilting and going yellow even though the soil's wet
Wilting while the soil stays soggy seems backwards, but it usually means root rot has set in because the drainage just can't keep up. Dig around the base and you'll probably find roots that have gone brown, soft, and smelly, and roots like that can't feed the plant anymore. So ease up on the water, sort out the drainage, toss anything that's too far gone, and replant the healthy divisions somewhere water won't sit.
Fix:
- Improve drainage and reduce watering
- Remove and discard severely affected plants
- Replant healthy divisions in well-drained soil
Little seedlings turning up everywhere in the bed
Feverfew's a prolific self-seeder, so don't be shocked when one plant carpets the ground around it with babies the next season. The trick is to deadhead before the flowers ever set seed, which stops the whole thing at the source. And any seedlings that do sneak through? They pull out by hand without a fuss while they're still small.
Fix:
- Deadhead before seed set
- Remove unwanted seedlings by hand while young
Curled, sticky leaves with little bugs all over
Those clustered little bugs on the new growth and leaf undersides? That's an aphid problem, and they're soft-bodied things that leave behind a sticky honeydew which curls and warps the leaves. The easy first move is a strong jet of water to knock them off. If the colony's really heavy you can follow up with insecticidal soap, but honestly the ladybugs will usually finish the job for you.
Fix:
- Spray with a strong jet of water to dislodge aphids
- Apply insecticidal soap if infestation is heavy
- Encourage beneficial predators such as ladybugs
Hardly any flowers, or blooms that don't last
Not getting many flowers? It usually comes down to too little sun or just forgetting to deadhead. A plant sitting in shade simply makes fewer buds, and one that's allowed to set seed eases off its own show. Give it a full-sun spot and snip the faded daisies as you go, and it'll keep flowering from early summer right into fall.
Fix:
- Relocate to a full-sun position
- Deadhead spent flowers regularly to encourage continued bloom
Toxicity
Feverfew's a great plant to have around, but it's not one to eat or graze. The leaves carry sesquiterpene lactones that irritate the mouth and gut of cats, dogs, and horses, and those same compounds give sensitive people contact dermatitis and mouth ulcers. So wear gloves when you handle it, and keep pets and kids from chewing the foliage.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
If a cat chews the leaves, you'll usually see drooling and vomiting, and the stomach upset can turn into diarrhea too. The sap's a bit irritating as well, so it might bother the mouth or leave a rash wherever it touches skin.
Dogs Mild
A dog that nibbles the foliage will probably drool and get an upset stomach, sometimes with loose stools to go with it. And if the sap gets on them, it can redden the mouth or irritate the skin.
Horses Mild
Horses that graze it can react to the bitter leaves with mouth irritation, drooling, and a mild bout of colic or loose manure. The good news is they'll usually just leave it alone if they've got the choice.
Rabbits Caution
Those same sesquiterpene lactones that bother other animals make feverfew a bad pick for rabbits, so it's best to keep it out of the hutch and off the menu altogether.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, sheep, and goats mostly steer clear of the bitter leaves on their own, but the plant's compounds can upset the gut if they're made to eat it, so it isn't something to count on as fodder.
Birds Caution
There's not much out there to say feverfew is safe for pet or backyard birds, and the irritant oils don't help its case, so it's smart to keep the plant well away from cages and aviaries.
People Caution
Handling the foliage can give sensitive folks contact dermatitis, and chewing the fresh leaves tends to cause mouth ulcers and irritation. So pop on some gloves when you cut it back, and give your hands a wash when you're finished.
Wear gloves when handling foliage; sesquiterpene lactones can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive people, and chewing fresh leaves can cause mouth irritation and ulcers.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Past the plain white daisy, there are a few selections worth knowing about, grown either for double flowers or for colored leaves.
'Aureum' (Golden Feather)
People grow this one for its bright chartreuse-gold leaves rather than the flowers, so it's really earning its spot as a foliage plant.
'Flore Pleno'
Instead of the plain daisy, you get fully double, button-like white flowers that are just packed with petals.
'Snowball'
Its blooms are rounded white pompons, a neat double form that almost looks like a little chrysanthemum.
How to propagate
Feverfew makes more of itself with almost no effort, whether you sow seed or split an established clump, and it cheerfully sows itself on top of all that.
SeedEasy
Sow indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost or direct sow in spring; surface sow as seeds need light to germinate · Germination in 1-2 weeks; flowering plants within the first season
Growing feverfew from seed is about as easy as it gets, whether you start it indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost or just sow it straight outside in spring. Here's the one thing to remember: press the seed onto the surface and don't bury it, since it needs light to sprout, and you'll see action in 1 to 2 weeks. Plants grown this way flower their first season, and since it self-sows so freely, you can just lift and move the volunteers while they're young.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · Several weeks to re-establish in the season of division
Want more plants that look exactly like the parent? Split a mature clump in spring or early fall, which also perks up a tired old plant at the same time. Just lift the clump, divide it into rooted chunks, and pop them back in. The divisions take a few weeks to settle, then carry right on through the same season.
Myths
Feverfew gets its name because it reliably cures fevers.
The name really does come from the Latin febrifugia, which means fever reducer, so that's a nod to how people used to think of it. But here's the thing: both the old traditional use and the modern studied use are actually about headache and migraine, not fever. It was never a dependable fever remedy, and the name's just a leftover from old folk medicine.