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Tansy

Herbaceous Perennial Flower, Herb

Also known as Golden Buttons, Garden Tansy, Fernleaf Tansy, Curly Tansy
Tanacetum vulgare
Asteraceae Family
Synonym: Chrysanthemum tanacetum, Chrysanthemum vulgare, Tanacetum aubiderti

Button-shaped yellow flowerheads dot the tops of 3-foot-tall plants that are at home in borders, cottage gardens, meadows or naturalistic plantings. Foliage is ferny, and plants spread by underground rhizomes, though not too aggressively.

	Site and Plant Characteristics
	Growing Information
	Varieties

Site Characteristics

Sunlight:

full sun

Soil conditions:

tolerates droughty soil
requires well-drained soil

Tolerates mild drought and pH range of 4.8 to 7.5.

Hardiness zones:

4 to 8

May be marginally hardy in Zone 3.

Plant Traits

Lifecycle: perennial

Ease-of-care: easy

So easy to grow that it could be called weedy. Best used in a cottage garden or meadow planting.

Height: 2 to 4 feet

Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet

Spreads indefinitely by rhizomes, but not too aggressively.

Bloom time:

mid-summer
late summer

Flower color: yellow

Foliage color: dark green

Foliage texture: fine

6-inch-long leaves are deeply dissected, hairy.

Shape:

cushion, mound or clump
upright

Broad clumps with erect stems.

Shape in flower: same as above

Special Considerations

Special characteristics:

aggressive - Only moderately aggressive, spreading by rhizomes and self-seeding.
non-invasive
not native to North America - Native to Europe and Asia but widely naturalized in North America.
fragrant - Flowers are scented and the leaves have a pungent camphor scent.

Special uses:

dried flowers - Both leaves and flowers used in arrangements.

Growing Information

How to plant:

Propagate by seed, division or separation - Readily self-sows. Sow seeds indoors in spring, barely covering seed and not allowing soil to dry out. Pot seedlings and hold overwinter until they are well-established before planting out.
Divide in spring. Plant out larger divisions. Grow smaller divisions in pots before planting out the following spring.

Maintenance and care:

Stems may require staking if they get too leggy.

More growing information: How to Grow Perennials

Diseases:

Leaf spot
Mildew.

Varieties

'Crispum' (Fernleaf tansy, Curly tansy) is better-suited for the garden than the species. It is more decorative, slightly shorter (growing 2.5 feet tall), does not spread as quickly, and has lacier leaves.