Daisy crazy
Anthemis first reached Britain almost 500 years ago, and ever since then we’ve been going...
ALONG time before they became a staple of British cottage gardens, golden marguerites were highly prized by artisans working in Asia Minor – modernday Turkey. Skilled weavers would gather the bright yellow flowers in summer to produce a natural dye that was used in the production of fancy textiles.
The blooms were crushed, dried and then steeped in water for several days to form a yellow liquid that was used to add yellow and buff tones to extravagant Turkish carpets and rugs. It remained a popular natural dye for wool and silk until the introduction of more stable synthetic dyes in the late 19th Century.
Found on dry, rocky slopes across Southern Europe, the Mediterranean and West Asia, this perennial was introduced to Britain in 1561. Known botanically as Anthemis tinctoria – from the Latin word tinctus, meaning dyeing – it’s a proficient selfseeder that has been a fixture of our countryside since the late 17th Century.
Forming a 3ft mound of finely divided, fern-like leaves with a scent that’s very similar to chamomile, A. tinctoria carries its daisylike flowers on stiff stems from late spring until early autumn. Even when the flowers fade, the evergreen foliage continues to add interest.
Soon after its arrival on our shores, A. tinctoria found its place in the smallholdings of the rural poor, where every plant had to provide food, medicine or have some other use. Over the centuries, these functional spaces evolved into more ornamental, flower-filled cottage gardens.
Until the early 20th Century it was the only anthemis that was widely grown, but it has since been superseded by a number of showier varieties. These plants range in height from about 1ft to 3ft, producing masses of gold-centred daisies with petals in shades of white, yellow and orange.
The most famous is probably A. tinctoria ‘E.C. Buxton’, whose lemon daisies appear from June to August. Introduced in 1910, it was named after Edmund Charles Buxton, a plantsman from North Wales. Pioneering gardener Beth Chatto once described it as ‘one of my best ten garden plants’.
All anthemis prefer a sunny position and will go downhill quickly if deprived of light. Due to their origins, they are happy in poor, welldrained soils but will still grow well in moderately fertile ground.
Avoid enriching the soil prior to planting, as too much goodness will result in feeble plants with a tendency to flop.
The foliage is susceptible to mildew. To avoid infection, grow in an open site where air can move freely. The plants will happily grow in an exposed position and will take a coastal breeze in their stride.
Their height and relaxed nature makes anthemis ideal for planting alongside other perennials at the front of beds and borders or for threading through displays. At Winterbourne Garden in Birmingham, different varieties are grown cheek by jowl to create an undulating swathe of tonal colours.
Anthemis will continue to bloom into early autumn if you remove fading flowers, but by October plants will be looking a little scruffy – simply cut the entire clump to just above ground level, which will encourage fresh growth.
Set a few sticks among clumps in spring to support stems during rough weather.
THEIR NATURAL DYE WAS ADDED TO FANCY TURKISH RUGS