Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) Growing & Care Guide for Gardeners
Article by Dean Ravenscroft, Ph.D. - Updated 31st Jan 2024
- Plant Characteristics: A perennial herb with finely divided, silvery-gray foliage and small, yellowish-green flowers. It's known for its strong, distinctive aroma and bitter taste, which contributes to its use in beverages and traditional medicine.
- Growing & Care: Prefers well-drained soil and full sun. It's drought-tolerant and generally low-maintenance, thriving in poor soils. Regular pruning can help maintain its shape and promote denser growth.
- Tips for New Gardeners: Suitable for beginners, but handle with care as its oils can be potent. It's a good choice for herb gardens or as an ornamental plant in xeriscaping. Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot.
Artemisia absinthium is most commonly known as Wormwood and Absinthe.
As an herbal plant steeped with traditional uses it has a multitude of other common names such as St. John's girdle, Green ginger, Holy seed, Lad's love, Mingwort, Old man, old woman, and Warmot.
Artemisia absinthium photograph by Matt Lavin.
The plant's native range includes most of Europe and Asia. Artemisia absinthium grows well in USDA zones four through nine (UK hardiness H6, hardy to about -20°C (-4°F)).
Be aware that it is now also considered to be an invasive species in the US.
Wormwood flowers, photograph by Andreas Rockstein; CC.
This herbaceous perennial can grow up to three feet (90 cm) tall and spread out to about two feet (60 cm) wide.
The foliage is greenish gray and it has yellow flowers that bloom from late summer to early autumn (natively in August to September).
The foliage of Wormwood is highly aromatic.
Absinth plant leaves, photograph by Andreas Rockstein; CC.
Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Absinthe Wormwood
The soil can be dry to medium in moisture. Do not overwater.
Wormwood likes a variety of soil types including loam, chalk, and sand.
It should be grown in a location with full sun.
While disease is usually not a problem with Artemisia absinthium plants, pests such as aphids and gall midges do enjoy feeding on this plant.
For best results, this plant should be pruned in the spring after the last frost. Trim the plant back so that it is only a few buds past the older framework and make sure that all thin, weak, and dead growth is removed to help strengthen the plant as a whole.
Once established, Artemisia absinthium is a very hardy plant that is likely to thrive in almost any garden.
Artemisia absinthium plant, image by Andreas Rockstein; CC.
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Artemisia absinthium Growing and Care Guide
- Scientific Name: Artemisia absinthium.
- Common Name: Wormwood, Grand wormwood, Absinthe, Absinthium, Absinthe wormwood, Common Wormwood.
- Growing Zone: USA: 4 to 9 / UK: H6.
- Life Cycle / Plant Type: Herbaceous, Perennial.
Plant Details
- Plant Height (Inches): 36 to 48.
- Plant Spread (Inches): 18 to 24.
- Time of Bloom: Late summer.
- Flower Details: Yellow.
- Leaf Foliage: Silver.
- Fruit:
- Growth Form: Upright / erect.
Ideal Growing Conditions
- Best Light Conditions: Full sunlight.
- Rate of Growth: Average pace.
- Suitable Soil Types: Acidic, Clay, Loamy, Neutral, Sandy, Well drained.
- Soil Moisture: Dry.
Caring Conditions
- Care:
- Level of Maintenance: Medium.
- Propagation: Seed in containers in a cold frame in autumn or spring. Root stem tips or heeled side-shoots as greenwood cuttings in early summer.
- How to Prune: Prune every spring to enhance flowering and tidy up plants.
- Pests: Prone to aphids and a gall midge.
- Diseases: Generally trouble free.
Further Information
- Can Attract:
- Tolerant of: Rabbit, Deer, Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil.
- Best Garden Use: Border, Ground cover, Seashore.
- Family: Asteraceae (Compositae).
- Closely Related Species: Achillea, Aster, Callistephus, Cosmea, Helianthus, Leontopodium, Liatris, Sanvitalia, Stokesia, Townsendia, and Zinnia.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Artemisia Absinthium. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Ursinia and Gerbera plants.
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