Mugwort (Organic)
Artemisia vulgaris. Perennial in zones 3-9.
An important part of the medicinal herb garden, as it has been used in remedies across many cultures for hundreds of years. Various preparations of mugwort have been applied to the skin to treat poison oak, rheumatism, or quicken the blood. Teas or tinctures have been known to induce lucid dreaming and are used to treat irregular menstrual periods, epilepsy, and stomach aches. In the United Kingdom, mugwort was even used as the poor man’s black tea substitute (it’s fairly bitter though, we don’t recommend this use) and has been used to flavor beer – there really are too many uses for mugwort to list them all here. Beautiful silvery grey purple leaves. Plants grow 4-6′ tall and would be suitable for an annual hedge. Perennial plants die back in winter but will spread, self-seed, and grow well even in poor soil.
Cannot ship to New York State.
Direct sow seeds very shallowly in spring, 4 weeks before last frost. Seeds require stratification, then light to germinate. Thin or transplant to 12” in all directions. Grows well in almost any conditions. Perennial. Will self-seed and spread aggressively.
Seed Saving
Collect seeds from seed heads that are fully dry. Shell by hand, winnow or screen to clean. Some cross-pollination may occur, isolate from varieties of the same species by 1/4 mile.
John –
Given the extremely invasive tendencies of this plant here in most of the US, I am saddened to see it offered here. A disclaimer should be given, warning to keep the plant potted and to clip the flowers before the seed ripen.
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Shop Manager Sarah Kleeger –
Thanks for the prompt, John. Here in our garden in Oregon, our mugwort patch is only slowly spreading via rhizomes & is not exhibiting invasive tendencies. We have added stronger language to the description to indicate that in some areas efforts should be made to limit this plant’s spread.
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Liz Stein –
Where did you grow this variety? Northeastern US
I fear I must second, strongly, John’s comment; I spent ten years of my gardening life trying to eradicate this plant, organically, from my garden. I’d be fighting it still but I moved. In the east, where I live, it is a scourge and a menace, with stoloniferous roots that refuse to die.
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