




Tansy (Tanacetum Vulgare) - Start Tansy seeds and grow the commonly known plant Golden Buttons or Common Tansy. Common Tansy herb plants grow to two to three feet tall with small yellow button-like flowers. The Tansy leaves are used dry to make dyes and many forms of insect repellents. This is an herb plant grown from herb seeds that you DO NOT eat. You can harvest Tansy leaves anytime. For best quality, always harvest in the morning after the dew has dried. You can pick the flowers in the afternoon from midsummer to fall when they are almost fully open. Don't use Tansy in cooking, even though you may find older recipes that may include it. Tansy herb may cause illness when taken internally.
Today, the medicinal properties formerly attributed to Tansy have been largely discredited, although it is still in use as an effective insect repellent and can be an asset in the garden as a companion plant for cucumbers, squash, roses and some berries to help keep the plants pest-free.
How To Grow Common Tansy: Start Tansy seeds directly outdoors once frost danger has passed. Lightly cover the herb seeds and keep them moist. Golden Buttons plants self-sow abundantly by dropping its seeds. It's best to keep the spent flowers deadheaded in order to keep the Common Tansy herb plants from spreading too aggressively. The herb plants need about an inch of moisture every week.
USES
- Use for scabies, itching, bruises, sores, sprains, swelling, freckles, sunburn, toothaches, and as an insect repellent, when applied directly to the affected area.
- Starting menstrual flow.
- Aborting pregnancy.
- Killing roundworm or threadworm in children.
- Killing bacteria.
- Migraines.
- Seizures.
- Joint pain.
- Improving digestion and appetite, gas, stomach spasms, bloating, and ulcers.
- Fluid retention.
- Calming nerves.
- Kidney problems.
- Other conditions.
Herb Specifications
- Season: Perennial
- USDA Zones: 3 - 9
- Height: 24 - 36 inches
- Bloom Season: Summer
- Bloom Color: Yellow
- Environment: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist, well-drained soil of average fertility
Planting Directions
- Temperature: 68F - if no germination in 3 - 4 wks, move to 24 - 39F for 2 - 4 wks
- Average Germ Time: 21 - 28 days
- Light Required: Yes
- Depth: Surface sow and thinly cover
- Sowing Rate: 5 - 7 seeds per plant
- Moisture: Keep seeds moist until germination
- Plant Spacing: 24 - 36 inches