Chamomile is a flowering herb that is a member of the plant family Asteraceae. It is mostly cultivated for the purpose of producing medicinal products and herbal tea.
In addition to its many utilitarian uses, chamomile is a stunning plant that may be used as an ornamental and has a pleasant perfume.
Chamomile has the ability to attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and hoverflies to your garden, it is a great herb to use as a companion plant for other crops in your garden.
This will help to ensure that your garden isn’t overrun by pests.
The aroma of it also helps keep mosquitoes away, which is another wonderful feature that will appeal to a lot of people.
Chamomile, due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal characteristics, is known to be beneficial to the growth of some plants and trees that are located nearby.
In this post, we will discuss Companion Plants for Chamomile, as well as the types of plants that should not be grown in close proximity to chamomile in a garden.
Chamomile varieties
German chamomile and Roman chamomile are the two varieties of this herb. A perennial that only reaches a height of around one foot at its full maturity, roman chamomile is an excellent choice for use as a ground cover.
The German variety of chamomile is an annual that may reach heights of up to three feet, making it much higher than the Roman variety. It does not make an effective ground cover but rather behaves more like a shrub.
The German chamomile and the Roman chamomile will both yield stunning flowers that are reminiscent of daisies.
Best companion plants for Chamomile
Below are some good companion plants for chamomile.
- Brassica family
- Strawberries
- Parsley
- Pepper
- Tomatoes
- Aubergines
- Echinacea
- Lavender
- chives
- dills
- squash
- cucumbers
- pumpkins
- courgettes
- Peas
Brassica family
Chamomile produces compounds that enhance the taste of other plants, it is an excellent companion plant for many members of the Brassica family (including cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, among others).
Keep in mind that planting chamomile alongside any vegetable that is a member of the Brassica family requires you to keep other members of the Brassica family separated from each other. This is because members of the same family tend to attract an excessive number of the same pests, which can lead to problems with your harvest.
Strawberries
Flowering herbs are useful to strawberry production because they attract a variety of beneficial insects, including pollinators like bees and butterflies, which results in a higher fruit set, as well as the sort of beneficial insects that feed on strawberry pests like aphids. You can plant chamomile companions with strawberries to attract beneficial insects and pollinators that help to produce a good yield.
There are three varieties of strawberry plants:
Fruit is produced all at once by June-bearing cultivars, often over a period of three weeks.
These types, which are sensitive to day duration, develop buds in the fall, flowers, and fruit in June, and runners in the long summer days.
These strawberries, although being referred to as “June-bearing” or “June-bearers,” actually bear earlier than June in warmer areas.
Everbearing cultivars provide a large harvest in the spring, a smaller crop in the summer, and then another crop in the late summer or autumn.
The long summer days and brief autumnal days are when these types develop buds. The buds that develop in the summer bloom and bear fruit in the autumn, whereas those that form in the fall do so the following spring.
Until the first frost, day-neutral cultivars continue to bear fruit all season: These kinds continually generate buds, fruits, and runners as long as the temperature stays between 35° and 85°F (1° and 30°C), regardless of the length of the day. Producing less than June-bearers do.
June-bearers are recommended for the backyard garden. Fruit harvesting will need a year, but it will be well worth the wait.
Parsley
When it comes into bloom, parsley in the garden attracts helpful insects like hoverflies and wasps that prey on other insects. Additionally, black swallowtail butterflies, which are delightful to observe in the yard since they serve as pollinators, are drawn to parsley.
Asparagus beetles are prevented from feeding on asparagus by the leaves of parsley. Roses could even have a richer fragrance if they are placed near parsley. Planting chamomile and parsley in a vegetable garden will help to attract beneficial insects and deter unwanted pests.
Pepper, Tomatoes, and Aubergines
The pollinators that are attracted to chamomile include those that are beneficial to tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines. It is essential for almost all varieties of solanums to be pollinated in order to produce fruit reliably; therefore, using chamomile as bait for bees and wasps is an easy way to ensure a good harvest.
Echinacea
Echinacea grows well with chamomile plants. They both attract pollinators in the vegetable garden. It is important to give careful consideration to the positioning of the echinacea in your garden before planting them.
In order to produce the most beautiful blooms, coneflowers must have access to direct sunlight. Be careful to bear in mind that they may grow to a height of between 2 and 4 feet as well. You don’t want to wind up preventing the sunlight from reaching shorter plants that need a lot of exposure to the sun.
One of the great American wildflowers, coneflowers may be found throughout the eastern and central United States, from Colorado to Texas and up to the Great Lakes in the north. From June until the first autumn frost, they are in flower.
Coneflowers get their name from their elevated cone-shaped centers, which attract bees and butterflies. After flowering, leave the seed heads on the plant to draw in songbirds like goldfinches!
“Goldfinches will linger on flower seed heads for a very long period. a wonderful way to start the day –Diana
Of course, this plant has numerous medical benefits for humans as well, and it’s particularly well-liked today as an immune-boosting herbal tea.
Lavender
Chamomile has been shown to be effective in warding off aphids and other types of flies, which in turn encourages the development and vitality of lavender plants that are located close by.
Chamomile and lavender are complementary to one another and may coexist peacefully. On the other hand, you should place the lavender plant some distance away from the chamomile plant.
In the event that you plant them too closely together, lavender will shade out the chamomile plant. Read more about companion plants for lavender.
Chives
Chives have a well-known reputation for their capacity to ward off pests that might potentially cause damage to other plants grown in a garden. Chives may grow in companion with any other plant. You can plant a chamomile companion with chives without any problem.
Dills
Dills is a helpful plant that is also a pleasant neighbor. It is prized for its capacity to attract insects that are beneficial to the garden. In addition, dills are effective in warding off a number of unwelcome insects and other pests, such as aphids, cabbage loopers, and spider mites.
Because dill and chamomile have similar characteristics, you can plant them next to one another in the vegetable garden to maximize the advantages to your crop production.
Squash
Some of the simplest vegetables to cultivate are squashes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and courgettes. As long as these plants are provided with sufficient water and enough light, they should be able to provide yields that are satisfactory.
However, they are all very vulnerable to mildew, which is a powdery fungus that may grow across the leaves and finally cause the plants to stop producing oxygen via photosynthesis. Planting chamomile next to plants that tend to climb, such as gourds and squash, may help reduce this problem while also enhancing the taste of neighboring fruits.
Peas
The chamomile plant is responsible for the accumulation of sulfur and potassium in the soil. These elements are subsequently taken up by neighboring plants, which results in a significant increase in both the production of fruit and the taste of the fruit of beans and peas.
Chamomile will attract ladybirds and wasps, both of which feed on aphids and blackflies, and chamomile will thus benefit from their presence.
Chamomile has a lengthy blooming season, which makes it appealing to bees and other pollinators. These insects will continue to visit bean and pea blooms to fertilize them. Read more about companion plants for peas.
What not to plant with chamomile
Carrots
Carrot root fly, one of the most destructive pests that may affect carrots, is attracted to chamomile.
There are a lot of gardeners who will recommend chamomile as a companion plant for carrots in order to increase the taste, and although they are not incorrect (it does work), it is just not worth the risk to do so.
Chamomile will not be damaged by carrot root flies in the same manner as umbellifers, which offer homes for the pests during the winter, but it will attract them.
Umbellifers are particularly susceptible to carrot root fly infestations. Having two of these plants close to one other in your garden is asking for trouble.
Mint
Chamomile, for some unknown reason, has the ability to dull the taste of mint. All of the scientific evidence points to the fact that it ought to improve it, yet the essential oils in mint are decreased when it is grown near chamomile.
Hey! I’m Madhuresh, a passionate content creator, and a Plant lover. I created Shiny Plant to explore and learn about new plants. The purpose is to provide simple and effective Gardening Tips. Hope you’ll find this informative.