Wormwood is one of the oldest herbs used, evidence of which goes back to ancient times. It is also used to make absinthe, giving the plant the botanical name Artemisia absinthium. The absinthe plant is perennial and once planted it is easy to care for. Nevertheless, vermouth needs some attention so that it can develop well.
Table of Contents
Characteristics
- Plant family: daisy family (Asteraceae)
- Flower color: yellow
- Flowering period: July – September
- Flower shape: small buttons (inconspicuous)
- Leaf: pinnate, silver-grey
- Light: Sun to a maximum of semi-shade
- Soil moisture: dry to a maximum of slightly damp
- Soil type: sandy, loamy
- pH value: alkaline – neutral
- Nutrient requirements: low
location and soil
Wormwood is found in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a Mediterranean plant because it prefers sunny locations. Although it can also be found in the Mediterranean region, it is not a characteristic species of this group.
Wormwood is hardy, but very low temperatures can cause a large part of the plants to die. When choosing a location, you should look for a sheltered location, for example along a south-facing house wall.
Artemisia absinthium not only likes it sunny, but also dry and low in nutrients. The soil should be permeable, a mixture with sand and garden soil is ideal, whereby the sand should make up the largest part. It also grows in loamy soils, so make sure that there is no waterlogging. It tolerates calcareous substrates to a limited extent, you should not work additional lime into the soil.
sorts
In addition to the wild form, there are some cultivated forms of real wormwood. These include the following varieties:
- Lambrook Mist
- Lambrook Silver
Both species vary in foliage compared to the wild form. Artemisia absinthium is not important for breeding. Plants with the same name that vary greatly in terms of appearance are commercially available as alternative varieties. Often it is not Artemisia absinthium, but other species. These not only vary greatly in appearance, but also differ in taste from real vermouth.
sowing
You can sow Artemisia absinthium in the garden. The plants are light germinators and you must not cover them with soil. Sowing can take place in April, with a preculture in seed trays you can start as early as March. Light germinators are usually associated with a high failure rate, since the seeds are covered by disturbed soil when watering. You can solve this problem by covering the fine seeds with a fine layer of quartz sand. The sand will prevent the seeds from floating when watered, but will allow enough light through to start germination.
After the plants have reached a height of approx. 5 cm, you can prick them out. When sowing directly in the garden, remove those plants that are too close together. There should be a distance of 30-50 cm between the plants.
planting
Wormwood is sold as a plant in specialist shops. You can plant it directly outdoors, it is also suitable for cultivation in pots. From mid-May you can plant the wormwood outdoors. You should not plant commercially available plants in the garden beforehand, as they are usually not hardy and a late frost can damage them.
The planting hole you dig must be at least twice the size of the plant’s root ball. Since Artemisia absinthium likes poor and well-drained soils, we first create a drainage with coarse rocks, over which comes a mixture of 2 parts sand and 1 part garden soil. You should avoid compost or other nutrient-rich substrates or long-term fertilizers when planting.
The planting hole is filled with the sand-soil mixture and gently pressed down. Then pour moderately. For the first two weeks, you should ensure that the soil remains moderately moist until the plants have rooted themselves in the soil.
When planting in a pot, a drainage layer made of coarse rock is also filled in. The pot should in turn have a diameter that is at least twice as large as the root ball so that the wormwood can spread well.
watering and fertilizing
Wormwood is easy to care for and you rarely have to water it. If it hasn’t rained for several weeks, water the site thoroughly once.
Pot culture is a bit more difficult. Although wormwood does not mind if the substrate is dry, you should make sure that this is the exception and not the rule, otherwise it will react with stunted growth. You should also avoid waterlogging in the pot. Although it can also be watered thoroughly every one to two weeks, simply pour out excess water in the saucer.
The wormwood is hardly or not at all fertilized. If the environment is nutrient-rich, such as in a perennial bed, fertilizer can be omitted. In lean locations, a maximum of 5 liters of compost are incorporated per year. The ideal time for this is late spring.
In autumn, the wormwood is additionally protected from frost with a layer of mulch, which can rot on the spot and also provides nutrients.
To cut
A pruning should be done regularly. Otherwise, Artemisia absinthium tends to become woody, making it more susceptible to frost in winter. A first pruning takes place in June before flowering. If you intend to propagate the wormwood from seeds, wait with the first pruning until they are ripe.
A second pruning is done in autumn before Artemisia absinthium is prepared for the winter. When cutting back, proceed as follows:
- Use bypass shears
- Shorten shoots to 10 cm
- leave shorter shoots
- in any case remove woody parts
propagation
In addition to propagation via seeds, you can propagate wormwood via cuttings, root suckers or division. You should generally divide the root ball every 2 – 3 years, since over-aged plants tend to die off.
When propagating via cuttings, proceed as follows:
- Cut off 10 cm long shoot tips in early summer
- Cover cuttings at least 2 eyes deep
- cover with a hood
- keep constantly moderately moist until autumn
Once you see the cuttings begin to grow further, you can remove the cover. This should prevent too much moisture from evaporating through the leaves in the first few weeks. Once the cuttings continue to grow, they have established roots. You should transplant them in autumn or the following spring at the earliest.
When propagating by division or root suckers, separate part of the rootstock and plant it in a new location.
hibernate
Artemisia absinthium must be overwintered in a pot in a sheltered room. This can be, for example, a light basement or a frost-free greenhouse. In the winter quarters, you just have to make sure that it doesn’t dry up. As a rule, it remains free of pests.
Cover outdoor plants with a layer of leaf mulch two weeks after the last fall pruning. You should wait until just before the first frost before mulching, otherwise the wormwood may grow through the layer again.
harvest time
You can harvest the wormwood herb with the pruning in summer at the same time. Although you could also use the herb from the second cut, the content of ingredients is significantly lower. The herb is not used when the wormwood has flowered, since the content of ingredients is also lower after flowering.
diseases and pests
Wormwood is a good plant for garden beginners because, apart from a little winter protection, it is not difficult to care for and hardly susceptible to pests or diseases. It is usually spared from aphids and other sucking insects, as the ingredients are also defensive substances against such animals.
In rare cases, powdery mildew may form on the plant. This is only the case in rainy years. When mildew develops, wormwood is easy to treat:
- Cut off affected parts of the plant
- Dispose of plant parts in the trash – do not compost
- transplant if recurring (e.g. under a sheltered eaves)
