Tanacetum vulgare seeds

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare in Latin), is a large herbaceous perennial with beautiful golden yellow flowers from midsummer to the heart of autumn, gathered in flat corymbs above superbly aromatic fern-like foliage.

This easy-to-grow, fragrant plant is essential in organic vegetable gardens for making liquid feed. It is a good natural insecticide that also acts as a repellent and is very ornamental.

Tansy is a robust perennial plant of the Asteraceae family (formerly Compositae). It grows spontaneously in the wild along country roadsides, in Europe and as far as Siberia. It is an ornamental medicinal plant which is useful in vegetable gardens and orchards. Nourished by a creeping root system, the powerful crown of the tansy produces stiff stems that sometimes reach 1.20 m (4ft) or more high. They bear finely cut, dark green foliage, like yarrow or some ferns. The plant offers small, round, beautiful bright yellow heads, gathered in flat, round inflorescences. Its fragrant leaves and flowers have a powerful, herby smell with floral and fruity notes. Tansy spreads quite rapidly thanks to its creeping rhizomes. You can grow it in a pot to control its spread or in open ground you can cut off the shoots. It is hardy down to -15°C (5°F) and requires little maintenance.

In the vegetable garden, Tansy repels many insects (flies, Colorado potato beetles, ants, mosquitoes, etc.) when planted near sensitive plants or by spraying infusion, decoction, maceration or manure. It is also useful in the house. You can prepare small dried bouquets to repel moths in a wardrobe. Dried leaves can also be placed in the lining of pet baskets (without being in contact with the animal) to repel fleas and ticks.