Description
Tanacetum vulgare
Aromatic herb used for centuries as an insect repellent. Used to expel worms in animals, repel fleas etc. Used dried, it will repel moths and ants in stored goods. In Lithuania it is used mixed with Wormwood for preservative purposes (to protect smoked meats from flies blow, other pests, and spoilage) as well as for flavouring. Fresh leaves of tansy can be used in chooks’ nests for ectoparasites or an extract of the leaves sprayed on the chooks.
A green dye can be made from the young shoots, a yellow one from the flowers.
The plant accumulates potassium from the soil which makes the leaves a useful addition to a compost heap, or leaves can be made into to a liquid fertilizer. We use it in the vegetable garden and food forest for ‘chop and drop’ mulch. Tansy is said to be a good companion plant for roses, berries and fruit trees. Dried tansy is used as a fuel by some beekeepers in a bee smoker. It has a creeping habit and can be invasive but in our Hawke’s Bay clay soil we find it is not so.
Perennial with yellow button flowers in summer which can be dried for use in floral arrangements. Height to 90cm.
9cm pot. Certified organic plant.
Freight: full list of freight and packing charges.
Photos: Kahikatea Farm
