The illustrated growing guide
Wormwood (Artemisia)
Artemisia absinthium
Family Asteraceae
Est. zones 4-9
The silver-foliage plant behind absinthe's legend — but today it earns its place as one of the best silver-gray foliage plants for hot, dry borders, its filigreed leaves setting off every flower nearby and shrugging off drought and deer. It's allelopathic (it suppresses some neighbors), so give it room. The famous bitter compound (thujone) is toxic in quantity, so grow it for beauty, not home remedies. 'Powis Castle' is the choice garden form.
Full Sun
Low water
Fast growth
Deer-resistantI
Overview
Will wormwood (artemisia) suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what wormwood (artemisia) actually needs.
Hardy inZones 4-9Wormwood (Artemisia) at a glance
Common wormwood (artemisia) problems
- Almost none — deer- and pest-repellent
- Root Rot in wet soil
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow wormwood (artemisia): light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate wormwood (artemisia)
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The year
What wormwood (artemisia) asks for, month by month.
The wormwood (artemisia) year, month by month
BloomPruneWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
The wormwood (artemisia) year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb quiet month
- Mar pruning
- Apr pruning
- May pruning
- Jun bloom
- Jul bloom
- Aug bloom
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Wormwood (Artemisia) in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer perennial
What wormwood (artemisia) is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesContains thujone, a neurotoxin. Ingesting wormwood OIL has caused seizures, muscle breakdown and acute kidney failure (New England Journal of Medicine, 1997). US FDA allows Artemisia in food only if the finished food is thujone free (21 CFR 172.510), and it is not a GRAS spice. Not for casual internal use, and not in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Grow it as an ornamental.
Harvesting & storing wormwood (artemisia)
Historically medicinal and the botanical behind absinthe — but strong and regulated; mostly grown as silver foliage now.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of wormwood (artemisia), ruled as a catalogue.
Best wormwood (artemisia) varieties & cultivars
'Lambrook Silver'; 'Powis Castle' (a sterile, well-behaved silver hybrid — the best garden form)
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to wormwood (artemisia)yet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
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Questions
Wormwood (Artemisia) questions, answered straight.
Do deer eat wormwood (artemisia)?
Rarely — wormwood (artemisia) is considered deer-resistant, which makes it one of the safer unfenced choices in deer country. Hungry deer in a hard winter test every rule, but it's a low-risk pick.
Is wormwood (artemisia) safe for kids and pets?
With care. Contains thujone, a neurotoxin. Ingesting wormwood OIL has caused seizures, muscle breakdown and acute kidney failure (New England Journal of Medicine, 1997). US FDA allows Artemisia in food only if the finished food is thujone free (21 CFR 172.510), and it is not a GRAS spice. Not for casual internal use, and not in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Grow it as an ornamental. Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
When do you harvest wormwood (artemisia)?
Historically medicinal and the botanical behind absinthe — but strong and regulated; mostly grown as silver foliage now.
How do you propagate wormwood (artemisia)?
Division or seed.
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Elsewhere
Where wormwood (artemisia) sits in the library.
Comfrey
Lavender
Rosemary
Anise Hyssop