Tanacetum parthenium
Family Asteraceae
Feverfew froths with sprays of penny-sized daisies from summer into fall — cottage-garden cheer with a serious footnote, because this is the traditional migraine-prevention herb of Europe, studied for generations. A charmer for bouquets first; a working herb only with your doctor's blessing.
Compact at one to two feet, it slots into borders and herb beds, feeds bees, and cuts beautifully for little jars on a windowsill. Left alone it self-sows into a permanent patch — a plant that decides to stay. Give it a sunny edge and let it settle in.
Full Sun
Low water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Our Plant Library collection carries feverfew — Tanacetum parthenium, print Nº 181, “Feverfew.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
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Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what feverfew actually needs.
Hardy inZones 5-9Feverfew · Common problems
1 problem on file
Almost none (aromatics repel most)
1 problem on file
FewFeverfew · Growing & propagation
LightWater
Soil
Fertilizer
PruningShear post-bloom to tidy and limit the enthusiastic self-seeding.
SpacingPropagateFeverfew · Seasonal care & spray guidance
early spring
1 jobSowingIn springSow roughly two weeks before your predicted last frost date. Press the seed onto the soil surface and tamp it in lightly rather than covering it. Hold seedlings near 65 to 70 F by day and 50 F at night; germination takes 10 to 15 days. Space transplants 9 to 12 inches apart. Feverfew seed requires light to germinate, so soil raked over the top simply holds it dormant instead of covering it in.
at bloom
1 job
HarvestingAt bloomHarvest any time from before bloom through full bloom by taking the top two thirds of the plant. Leave about four inches of stem for regrowth so you can take a second cut later in the season (per Manitoba Agriculture), and harvest early enough to allow sufficient time for that regrowth. Cutting twice in a season yields more total dry material than a single harvest. Dry the cut material in shade out of direct sunlight, then rub it through quarter-inch hardware cloth to separate the leaves and flowers from the stems. Leaf and flower are the marketable and medicinal fraction, standardized on parthenolide, and the stems are screened out afterward, so the harvest is timed and cut to take the leafy top rather than the whole plant.
the growing season
1 jobWhat to watch forThrough summerTurn a few leaves over through the summer and look for fine stippling and webbing. Feverfew has no serious disease or insect problems, so mites are the one pest worth tracking on this plant. Spider mites are the only pest that reliably troubles feverfew, and they build up on the undersides of leaves where the damage is easy to miss until the foliage is bronzed.
autumn, and putting it to bed
1 jobPruningAfter harvestDeadhead or shear the spent blooms off as soon as they fade rather than leaving them to brown on the plant. If the planting has already spread, pull the volunteer seedlings while they are small. Feverfew self-seeds aggressively, and every seed head left to ripen becomes next season's colony in the surrounding bed.
Feverfew · Calculators & field guides
Feverfew · Yearly calendar
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomJune to September
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Feverfew · Ecology & uses
Tanacetum parthenium
Attracts
Moisture
DeerProtect young plants
Origin! Some parts toxic — see notesChewing fresh leaves causes mouth ulcers in roughly 1 in 10 users. Not for use in pregnancy — it may stimulate uterine contractions — or alongside blood thinners, and it can trigger allergic skin reactions in people sensitive to ragweed and daisies. ASPCA has no feverfew entry, but lists related Chrysanthemum species as toxic to dogs, cats and horses.
Traditional useUseUse
Traditional use ratingLeaves — the traditional migraine-prevention herb (eaten in a sandwich or dried; bitter).
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Feverfew · Varieties & cultivars
'Aureum' (gold leaf); double-flowered 'Flore Pleno'
Sources & plant identity
Tanacetum parthenium
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Manitoba Agriculture (provincial department of agriculture)
Montana State University
NC State ExtensionPublisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Feverfew questions, answered straight.
With care. Chewing fresh leaves causes mouth ulcers in roughly 1 in 10 users. Not for use in pregnancy — it may stimulate uterine contractions — or alongside blood thinners, and it can trigger allergic skin reactions in people sensitive to ragweed and daisies. ASPCA has no feverfew entry, but lists related Chrysanthemum species as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
Leaves — the traditional migraine-prevention herb (eaten in a sandwich or dried; bitter).
Division or seed.
Where feverfew sits in the library.
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