Anthemis tinctoria Wargrave Variety - Marguerite

Anthemis tinctoria 'Wargrave Variety', also known as False Chamomile or Dyer's Chamomile, is a large herbaceous perennial plant with finely divided, curly green foliage from which emerges a multitude of small, pale-yellow daisies in spring and summer. Very hardy, undemanding and easy to grow, it is ideal for rockeries or sunny slopes.

Anthemis tinctoria belongs to the Asteraceae family. This plant is native to Europe and Asia Minor. 'Wargrave Variety' is one of its cultivars, selected for the lighter colour of its inflorescences. It is a medium-sized plant, slightly taller than the cultivar 'E.C Buxton', which can reach a height of 60 to 100cm (24 to 39in) if provided with support in a rockery or on a slope. Its growth is rapid. It will form clumps of 50cm (20in) in width. Flowering takes place from May to July. The flowers resemble small daisies, 4cm (2in) wide, with a dark yellow heart (a disc of hermaphrodite florets). Surrounding it are ligulate, female, light yellow peripheral florets. The stems are often branched, with green bipennatilobed leaves with a whitish and villous underside. The deciduous foliage is aromatic.

Sun-loving, anthemis plants particularly dislike excess moisture in winter. Plant them in well-drained slightly acidic, neutral, or strongly calcareous ordinary soil. These plants are not very demanding in terms of soil quality. However, in heavy soil, their lifespan is shorter than in poor and dry soil. Their resistance to cold is greater in dry soil. Cutting back the stems to 20cm (8in) above ground level in early September promotes the reconstitution of clumps at the end of the season, or even a slight regrowth, and enables them to withstand a rainy winter. This operation also allows for the formation of a beautiful rosette of leaves in winter and prolongs the life of the plant.

Forming spectacular rounded clumps in a very short time, 'Wargrave Variety' Dyer's Chamomile is stunning when paired with blue-flowering plants such as perennial flax, chicory, bugloss, and borage. It can be very useful for starting a new garden after construction work. It can be planted in wildflower beds alongside simple flowers such as snapdragons, wallflowers, baptisias, or common sage. It also works well in more manicured flower beds, rockeries, borders, and even in a cutting garden. Its foliage pairs well with grey-foliaged plants such as wormwood and old-fashioned roses.

Anthemis tinctoria is a dye plant, from which a yellow dye was once extracted.