Chrysanthemum balsamita

Sunset

Zones 2-24, 28-41

Full

Costmary
Asteraceae (Compositae)
Herbs, Perennials

CHRYSANTHEMUM

There are about 160 species of chrysanthemum, mostly native to China, Japan, and Europe. Included are some of the most popular and useful of garden plants—the top favorite being C. x grandiflorum, whose modern descendants are known as florists' chrysanthemums.

Taxonomists have split the Chrysanthemum into a number of new genera—and, in certain cases, changed their minds and returned some species to the original genus.

Chrysanthemum balsamita

Native Europe to central Asia. This weedy, rhizomatous plant is grown for its sweet-scented foliage (used in salads and sachets) rather than its tiny daisies. Leggy stems reach 3 ft. high; if these are cut back, the gray-green, finely scallop-edged basal leaves can make a nice edging for an herb garden. Divide clumps and reset divisions in late summer or fall.