Plant of the week

ANTHEMIS TINCTORIA ‘E. C. BUXTON’

A FORM of dyer’s chamomile, this is a daisy with lasting value. Anthemis tinctoria E. C. Buxton has feathery leaves when young and comes into flower in late June. The mid-sized single daisies sit atop sparsely branched stems some 50-80cm high. On wild dyer’s chamomile, the daisy flowers have golden yellow rays with mustard centres. The rays of E. C. Buxton are lemon yellow when freshly open, subsiding to pale primrose as they mature. These make a gentle contrast with darker yellow daisy centres. Any free-draining soil suits this plant, provided it is grown in a sunny spot. The stems tend to be weak and need canes, pea sticks or stakes for support. They will flower until autumn if you remove tired stems regularly. Though perennial, dyer’s chamomile is not long-lived unless the plants are divided every few years. Do this in autumn or spring by splitting the healthiest plant down to small divisions, each with one stem or shoot and healthy roots. Pot up in September, for planting out in April.