Grow Your Own Feverfew Herb
I think everyone should grow feverfew in their garden. It's a gorgeous herb with white flowers that add a little bit of cottage-garden whimsy to any outdoor space. It's easy to care for, somewhat drought-tolerant, and even deer resistant. Plus, pollinators like bees and butterflies love feverfew flowers.
Feverfew is a flowering herb from the Aster family, the same plant family as echinacea, marigolds, and zinnias. If you know anything about these flowers, it's probably how low-maintenance they are, and feverfew is no exception.
Let's look at how to grow and harvest your own feverfew, plus my favorite uses for this hardy little herb.
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How to Grow Feverfew
Feverfew is an herb I recommend planting in the ground, not a raised bed. I learned this lesson the hard way when a once-small feverfew plant purchased from a local nursery took over one of my beds. I transplanted her to my pollinator garden, where she’s been quite happy ever since.
Choose a spot that gets full sun. Your herb will grow slowly with 4 to 6 hours, but she'll thrive with more than that. Give each feverfew plant 12" of space to spread out.
I recommend growing feverfew by plant instead of seed. If you do grab seeds, you'll need to start them indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost date so that they can grow into plants large enough to transplant once the weather's right.
Feverfew is a perennial plant, and like echinacea, it's a little slow growing at first. The first year I had my plant, she grew 12 inches tall and produced a couple flowers. Her second year was a completely different story. She was one of the first perennial herbs to come back after snow and frost had passed in the Chicago area. And that's when she took over my garden with stems 2 and 3 feet tall.
Pinch off the flowers once they're spent. Give your herb some water if it's been over a week without a good inch of rain in your area. Add some compost around the base of your plant if she looks like she could use a little boost. If your plants spread out too much, use a hori hori knife or sharp spade to divide them.
Overall, this is a very low-maintenance plant. I haven't given mine any extra attention, no extra watering, no extra fertilizing—she's just flourishing on her own.
How to Harvest Feverfew
Use a clean pair of pruners or scissors to harvest the stems right at their base. Start from the outside of the plant and work your way in. Avoid cutting more than a third of a plant at any one time when you’re harvesting or pruning.
If you're harvesting feverfew as a cut flower, put the stems in some water quickly.
If you're harvesting to make your own feverfew tea, then I recommend drying your harvest first. Take the stems inside, tie them with twine, and hang them upside down to dry in a cool, dry, fairly dark place, maybe on a coat rack or something. People ask me about dehydrating herbs, but I find letting them dry out naturally is the simplest and easiest way. I like to let nature do its thing. It’s had a lot of years to practice.
Feverfew Benefits
Feverfew has been used for centuries, perhaps millennia, to treat—you guessed it—fevers. Some people say it’s also good for migraines, labor pains, arthritis, general headaches, and PMS symptoms. No wonder it's called "medieval aspirin" by some.
The leaves and flowers of feverfew can be dried or used fresh in teas, tinctures, or tisanes.
To make your own feverfew tea, pour boiling water over 1 teaspoon dried herbs or 3 teaspoons fresh herbs and let it steep for 5 to 15 minutes. Strain and serve hot or iced. Feverfew has a bitter flavor, so you may want to mix in some honey.
Note:
Avoid taking feverfew if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. It can cause early contractions, for one, and many of these herbs just haven't been studied enough to make sure they're safe for certain populations. You should also avoid it if you're allergic to ragweed, since they're closely related.
Time to Grow Your Own Feverfew
To be honest, I’m not really into fancy herbal home remedies, but I do love growing beautiful herbs in my kitchen garden and I definitely love creating my own teas. It’s really easy to pour boiling water over the dried leaves and flowers of feverfew. Who knows, maybe I’ll be Ms. Herbal Medicine Woman one day.
Until then, I'll just enjoy this pretty little herb in my garden.
