Description

Mugwort is tall, perennial with tufts of small goundsel-like brown flowers tinged with purple or yellow. Probably the most distinctive feature of mugwort are the leaves, which are pinnate, dark green and almost hairless above and covered with a silvery down beneath. The plant also has a distinctive aroma when brushed against. Flowers from July to September.

Habitat Information

Mugwort is a plant of disturbed, relatively fertile soils found on roadside verges, waysides, waste ground and other similar habitats. Mugwort is often an early coloniser of bare ground, being replaced by taller species when no subsequent disturbance occurs. It is however more persistent on stony ground where its deep roots can reach fertile and moist soil below. Mugwort produces large amounts of seed which can remain viable in the soil for many years. There is some evidence that mugwort was a major component of our immediate post glacial flora but nowadays it is almost wholly restricted to urban areas.

Growing Information

Sow at any time of the year.