Herb · Asteraceae
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
Plant it in full sun and lean, dry soil and feverfew fires off white daisies all summer.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
90–120 days
USDA 5–9
Overview
Feverfew is a tough, upbeat perennial in the daisy family that throws out small white flowers with bright yellow centers right through the warm months. It grows fast and demands next to nothing, which is how it broke out of old cottage gardens and spread into beds, borders, and herb patches across cooler climates. Crush a leaf and the aromatic, ferny punch announces it as a member of the Tanacetum crew, close kin to tansy and the chrysanthemums.
It pulls double duty in the garden. The daisies keep the cutting bucket full and bring pollinators piling in, and the plant carries a long folk-medicine history that still rings in its name. Turn your back and it self-sows with real drive, so a neat clump can take off into a loose colony within a season or two.
None of that makes it a handful to grow. Hand feverfew sun, soil that drains, and a good chop once it wraps up blooming, and it bounces back year after year and seeds the gaps for free besides. The one thing to ride herd on is the spread, and a little deadheading keeps it firmly in check.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean and well-drained soil, and a deep drink only once the top half of the soil has dried. Deadhead through the season, chop it back after bloom, and it pretty much runs itself.
Light
Feverfew flowers hardest in full sun and will take light partial shade in stride. Push it into deeper shade and you swap flowers for floppy, leggy stems, so hand it the brightest spot you have and watch it perform.
Water
Once it digs in, feverfew is drought-tolerant and flat-out hates wet feet. Water deeply but only after the top half of the soil dries, which lands around every 7 to 14 days, and let it run dry between drinks.
Soil
Plain well-drained garden soil keeps it humming, and it even powers through poor, dry ground. Aim for a pH between 6.0 and 7.5 and make sure water drains away fast, since soggy soil is the one thing it will not put up with.
Temperature
Feverfew is genuinely tough, riding out cold to about -20°F (-29°C) and shaking off summer heat to 90°F (32°C). That range lets it overwinter as a perennial across a wide sweep of temperate gardens.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air is all it asks, so skip the gauge. It cruises along in the 40% to 60% range most gardens already sit at, and good airflow counts for way more than the reading.
Feeding
This is a light feeder that actually performs better in lean soil. One light dose of balanced fertilizer or a little compost in spring is all it wants, since heavy feeding just pumps out soft growth that flops and pulls in aphids.
Pruning
Deadhead spent flowers through the season to keep the show rolling and rein in its heavy self-seeding. Shear it back hard once flowering wraps to drive fresh compact regrowth, then cut it down in late fall or early spring.
Repotting
Grow feverfew in a container and you will repot it annually or whenever it outgrows the pot. Roots circling the soil, a dip in vigor, or soil that dries almost the instant you water it all shout that it wants more room.
Size & spacing
Plants shoot to 18 to 35 inches (45 to 90 cm) tall and bulk up into clumps 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) across. Give each one that much room so air rips through freely and the roots steer clear of trapped moisture.
When to plant
Feverfew runs on the seasons, and the calendar is quick to learn. Start seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost or sow it straight into spring ground, push young plants out once the cold breaks, and the white daisies fire off from early summer right 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 rarely throws a problem your way, and when it does it tracks back to too much water, too little sun, or its own drive to seed. Match what you are seeing below, then jump on it early while the fix is quick and easy.
Wilting and yellowing on soil that stays soaked
Catch a plant wilting while the soil stays soaked and you are looking at root rot, which strikes when the drainage falls behind. Dig in at the base and the roots show up brown, soft, and rank, no longer able to feed the plant overhead. Pull back hard on watering, open up that drainage, clear out anything beyond rescue, and drive healthy divisions into ground where water drains away fast.
Fix:
- Improve drainage and reduce watering
- Remove and discard severely affected plants
- Replant healthy divisions in well-drained soil
Volunteer seedlings springing up all around
Feverfew is a prolific self-seeder, so one happy plant can launch a whole crop of youngsters across the ground next season. Get ahead of it by deadheading before the flowers ever set seed, which shuts down the spread right at the source. Whatever volunteers slip past come up with a quick tug while they are small, so they are no trouble at all.
Fix:
- Deadhead before seed set
- Remove unwanted seedlings by hand while young
Curling, sticky leaves crowded with tiny insects
Spot clusters of tiny insects on the fresh shoots and leaf undersides and you have caught an aphid outbreak early, which is half the battle won. These soft-bodied feeders pump out a sticky honeydew that warps and curls the leaves as they go. Hit them with a strong jet of water to knock the colony loose, reach for insecticidal soap if it is really packed in, and recruit ladybugs to patrol the rest.
Fix:
- Spray with a strong jet of water to dislodge aphids
- Apply insecticidal soap if infestation is heavy
- Encourage beneficial predators such as ladybugs
Sparse flowers or a bloom that quits early
Light flowering nearly always points to too little sun or deadheading that fell by the wayside. Shift it out of shade, where it loafs along on a handful of buds, and stop letting it set seed, which pulls its energy off the show. Plant it in full sun and keep snipping the spent daisies, and it powers on from early summer deep into fall.
Fix:
- Relocate to a full-sun position
- Deadhead spent flowers regularly to encourage continued bloom
Toxicity
Feverfew is a winner in the garden, but it is one to grow, not eat or graze. The leaves pack sesquiterpene lactones that irritate the mouth and gut of cats, dogs, and horses, and the same compounds hand sensitive people contact dermatitis and mouth ulcers. Pull on gloves to handle it and keep pets and kids from chewing the foliage.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that chews the leaves usually ends up drooling and vomiting, and the stomach upset can run on to diarrhea. The sap can sting the mouth too or raise a rash on contact with skin, so park the plant somewhere a curious cat cannot get at it.
Dogs Mild
A dog that grabs a mouthful of the foliage will likely drool and get a queasy stomach, sometimes with loose stools to match. Where the sap lands it can redden the mouth or irritate the skin, so set the plant up out of a nosy dog's reach.
Horses Mild
Grazing horses react to the bitter foliage with mouth irritation, drooling, and a mild round of colic or loose manure. Happily, most horses give it a sniff and move right along when better grazing is on offer.
Rabbits Caution
The very sesquiterpene lactones that bother other animals make feverfew a poor pick for rabbits, so keep it out of the hutch and strike it off the forage list to play it safe.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, sheep, and goats tend to dodge the bitter leaves on their own, but the plant's compounds can upset the gut if they are forced to eat it, so never count on it as fodder.
Birds Caution
Little out there backs feverfew as safe for pet or backyard birds, and the irritant oils argue against it, so keep the plant well clear of cages and aviaries.
People Caution
Handling the foliage can spark contact dermatitis in sensitive people, and chewing fresh leaves often brings on mouth ulcers and irritation. Pull on gloves when you cut it back and wash your hands afterward, and you are good to go.
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
Look past the plain white daisy and a few selections jump out, grown for double flowers or for colored leaves.
'Aureum' (Golden Feather)
Grown for its glowing chartreuse-gold leaves rather than its flowers, this one pulls its weight as a standout foliage plant.
'Flore Pleno'
It dials up the simple daisy into fully double, button-like white flowers crammed with petals.
'Snowball'
Its blooms come as rounded white pompons, a crisp double form that reads almost like a small chrysanthemum.
How to propagate
Feverfew multiplies with hardly any effort, whether you sow seed or split an established clump, and it sows itself on top of 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
Feverfew rockets up from seed, whether you start it indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost or fling it straight into spring ground. Press the seed onto the surface and leave it open to the light it needs to fire up, and sprouts break through in 1 to 2 weeks. Plants raised this way flower their very first season, and since it self-sows with real gusto, you can scoop up and relocate the volunteers while they are young.
DivisionEasy
Spring or early fall · Several weeks to re-establish in the season of division
Split a mature clump in spring or early fall to charge up a tired plant and crank out copies that come true to type at the same time. Heave the clump up, break it into rooted sections, and plant them straight back. The divisions need just a few weeks to grab hold and then push on through the same season.
Myths
Feverfew gets its name because it reliably cures fevers.
The name really does trace to the Latin febrifugia, meaning fever reducer, which hints at how it was once put to use. Even so, both the traditional use and the modern studied use zero in on headache and migraine instead. It was never a dependable fever remedy, and the name just hangs on from old folk medicine.