Chamomile at the Shakespeare Garden

Blooming in early to midsummer, the apple-like fragrance of Chamomile attracts pollinators and humans alike.  Chamomile is one of many species in the daisy family, including German and Roman. The Roman variety is a perennial, while German is an annual.  If not deadheaded, German chamomile will easily self-seed.  German chamomile may reach 60 cm, while Roman tends to be a spreading perennial that reaches only 30 cm.  Both varieties are tolerant of poor soil and drought.  The plant is native to northern temperate regions but is found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Chamomile was a favorite in Elizabethan gardens offering both fragrance and medicinal qualities, as referenced by William Lawson in his 1648 book, A New Orchard and Garden, which described chamomile as being used as a ground cover, “Large walks, broad and long, close and open, like the Tempe Groves in Thessallie raised with gravel and sand, having seats and banks of chamomile.” The fruity scent of apple would waft up when crushed and “all this delights the minde, and brings health to the body.”  John Gerard in The Herbal, published in 1597, extolled the many medicinal uses of chamomile including fighting colic and mixed in wine to rid of “wind and belchings.” In addition, the leaves were said to ease a variety of muscular aches and pains.