Chamomile, A Flower or a Weed

Is Chamomile a flower or a weed?  I guess that depends on who you ask.  Even some in the herbal community will call it a weed.  I never thought of it that way, although my husband does.

When I first planted Chamomile, I thought it was so pretty and it smelled remarkable.  On top of that it's full of uses, the best of which is drinking Chamomile tea.  At that time, I had no idea how it spread.  Even so, I think it's great, BUT, you have to learn to control it.

From my garden.

Chamomile, the first year

Years ago I planted Chamomile in a raised bed.  It was a circle bed about a foot & a half round.  It grew so pretty and made so many flowers.

I picked and picked and dried the flowers and used them for many different things.  At the end of that year, we had to move the bed.  I was going to lose my Chamomile, but I knew I could always plant some more.

Chamomile, the second year

The following year, I found little plants along the driveway and the patio.  I was so excited, I really didn't lose all my Chamomile!!

So I protected them by not letting my husband mow them down and I picked and picked the flowers again.  I was happy.

Chamomile, the third year

Then came the next year.  I found Chamomile in every corner of my yard.  The leaves are so feathery, the flowers are so pretty and smell so good and it makes magnificent tea, so no worries.

This time I had to really work to convince my husband to leave various patches alone so they could grow.  I even had to make a deal with him that he could cut that area down, if he would leave this area alone.  And I continued to pick flowers.

Some people may say that makes for a nuisance weed, I just think it makes the yard look nice.

There are so many things you can use Chamomile for, that I just can't imagine ever thinking of this plant as a nuisance.  Besides the fact that it smells divine, it taste great as a tea.  For those teas that don't taste so good, but are good for you, all you have to do is add a bit of Chamomile to make it palatable, to help the medicine go down, as they say.

Comment below and let me know what you use chamomile for.  I'd love to hear!!