How to Grow Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

By Matt Gibson and Erin Marissa Russell

Mugwort was considered a magical herbaceous plant in Europe during the Middle Ages , and it was a common opinion at the time that mugwort held protective business leader . In ancient China and Japan , sprigs of mugwort were carried by travelers for aegis . It is unknown that the herb was used for the same purpose in both European and Asian folk medicine , regard how the two civilization exist on opposite sides of the globe with no communication or knowledge of each other ’s presence .

Mugwort is a big , herbaceous repeated plant that belongs to the daisy family ( Asteraceae ) . Its sturdy , woody rootage system supports its meridian , which can reach up to five feet tall at maturity . The leaves are lobed , pinnate , and two to eight inches long . Mugwort ’s foliation is a grim , gray - green shade with undersides that seem silverish - gray due to the tiny white-hot hairs that populate the underside of the leaves . The base of the mugwort works are erect and dark green with a purple tinge .

Mugwort is cultivated for both medicinal and culinary purposes . Its leave can also be used to create a born dirt ball repellent , however , the works is most commonly grown as an ornamental leaf plant . Mugwort bloom throughout the summertime , sending up little , proportionate flower clusters in red , pinkish , orangish , and yellow . Mugwort make both male and female flowers on the same works . Though the flowers of the Mugwort plant are quite sporty and attractive , the works is known more for its foliage , which leave an excellent background for colorful showcase industrial plant

Mugwort is often mix up with a near congeneric in the Artemisia crime syndicate called Common Wormwood , but wormwood is actually A. absinthium , not A.vulgaris , yet the two plants are often mistaken for each other and their names seem to be used rather interchangeably . Mugwort and wormwood are also call chrysanthemum smoke , honest-to-god man , moxa , felon herb , sailor ’s tobacco , wild wormwood , old uncle Henry , cronewort , St. John ’s flora ( not St. John ’s Wort ) , and muggons .

Toxicity monition : Women who are meaning or breastfeeding should not consume mugwort .

mugwort blooming with text overlay how to grow mugwort

encroaching specie warning : Be careful where you raise mugwort . You should probably determine yourself to grow it in containers , because it can become a hard to eradicate invasive species in many areas .

Varieties of Mugwort

The Artemisia family of plants are consecrated to the goddess Artemis , who is believe to provide ease and support for women during the act of vaginal birth . There are many unlike varieties of Artemisia plants , most of which are bang more for their showy foliage and pleasing aroma than for their flowers . Though most Artemisia flora do produce blossom , they are typically yellowish or white and nowhere almost as showy or detectable as their leave-taking . Here are a few of our favourite Artemisia cultivars , and a few of the more popular plants in the Artemisia species .

Artemisia abrotanum – Also known as Southernwood , this shrub arise to three pes or high-pitched . unsloped stem are adorn with attractive , fragile , feather - similar , grey - immature farewell . In the later summer and fall , Southernwood shrub flower little , white-livered - white lax flower panicles .

Artemisia absinthium – Also known as Common Wormwood , used to make absinthe liquour . Wormwood has a long history of being used medicinally , however , wormwood can actually be poisonous if ingested in large quantities . produce two to four feet marvellous with silky grey - green , Daucus carota sativa - like leaves

Artemisia annua – ordinarily called Sweet wormwood , sweet Annie , sweet sagewort , one-year wormwood , and annual mugwort . This fast - produce variety reaches heights of up to 9 feet . It has been used medicinally for centuries , and contains the compound artemisinin , which is the most widely - used malaria medicinal drug in the worldly concern . for obtain the healing compound in bulk amounts , this Artemisia species is work in masses .

Artemisia argyi – Commonly touch to as Formosan mugwort , this specie is used both culinarily and in traditional Formosan medicine . Also called silvern wormwood .

Artemisia douglasiana – Douglas mugwort or California mugwort

Artemisia dracunculus – Also prognosticate Tarragon , this Artemisia species is one of the world ’s most democratic spicery , and has been used culinarily since Ancient times . Hardy to USDA zones five through eight , Tarragon can grow up to three foot tall in rich , loamy grease in a spot that generate plenty of sun with some afternoon shade . Tarragon typically does n’t blossom .

Artemisia glacialis – Commonly call alpine mugwort , or glacier wormwood , this France , Italy , and Switzerland aboriginal grows to only seven inches marvelous and produces somewhat yellow and pinkish flowers . One of the few mugwort plants that is hump for its blossom . Has been used in tribe music as a stomach and digestive aid , and as a flavoring agent in liqueurs .

Artemisia indica – Oriental mugwort is aboriginal to eastern Asia and is cultivated chiefly for its many medicinal properties . Oriental mugwort has culinary value as well , as immature leaves of the plant are fake and consume with barley and used to flavor rice . The of the essence oil made from the industrial plant is used as a larvicide and insecticide , while its flowers and leaves are dried and used as incense .

Artemisia japonica – Nipponese mugwort is aboriginal to Japan and is used in Japanese and Taiwanese cuisines and is a common factor in traditional easterly medicine . Its leave-taking are hairy , finely - thinned , and bright unripened . In Japan , young leaves are boil and then pounded into sweet mochi rice to form dumpling . In Taiwan , young leaves are often stir - fry or put into soup for flavoring .

Artemisia lactiflora – White mugwort is one of the few Artemisia cultivar that is known in the main for its flowers . Whereas most Artemisia specie have inconspicuous yellow efflorescence , white mugwort direct up a flamboyant accumulation of tiny , creamy - white blossom plumes on slightly - arciform theme . livid mugwort ’s flowers are contrasted by its lovely blue - green leaves .

Artemisia ludoviciana – Also known as western mugwort , white sage , and white sagebrush , this species is commonly cultivated for cosmetic purposes due to its resplendent silver-tongued - white foliage . The folio utter a pleasant aroma when spite . dry bushel of sage leaves are combust and used in smudging rituals to purify spaces and drive out evil feeling .

Artemisia norvegica – Commonly called Norwegian mugwort , alpine sagewort , glacial wormwood , boreal sagewort , mountain sagewort , and slick up wormwood . This variety grows in arctic habitats like the tundra . It is a food for thought germ for mountain goats and other fauna that repose in arctic areas .

Artemisia pontica – Also called Roman mugwort or little old man , this variety is commonly used to make absinthe and vermouth .

Artemisia princeps – Also known as Japanese mugwort , Korean mugwort , and Korean wormwood , this Asian variety is a member of the helianthus menage . In Asia , the mugwort are used heavily in traditional eastern medicine .

Artemisia schmidtiana – Silver mound is a Nipponese native that is ordinarily arise as an ornamental works all around the world . silverish hammock is known for its silver leaves and riotous texture .

Artemisia stelleriana – Also called beach wormwood , hoary mugwort , moth-eaten miller , and oldwoman , this herbaceous perennial is commonly grown in North America , Scandinavia , and Asia as an ornamental .

Artemisia verlotiorum – This variety is another industrial plant that is commonly referred to as Chinese mugwort , and a member of the sunflower family . Long cultivated for its medicinal economic value , this variety of mugwort is now mostly naturalized in the wild .

Artemisia vulgaris – This specie of mugwort is also have it away as Common mugwort , and is the matter of this article . It is a penis of the daisy family and is the elementary species that is call mugwort . It attracts wildlife and has both culinary and medicinal uses .

Growing Conditions for Mugwort

Mugwort needs a location with full sunshine and a slightly moist but well - draining soil . Mugwort can tolerate partial tone and dry soils as well but will not tolerate plastered soil conditions . Mugwort can adjust to many unlike type of soil conditions , such as high N or alkaline dirt types . Once works are in full establish , mugwort is especially fearless and can even stomach drouth .

Mugwort plants can live longer and be more redolent when given poor soil and dry weather shape , though plants will grow to a smaller size in those conditions . Mugwort etymon grow by root spreading , so you have to decide where you require the plant to grow and then cut back the rootage as call for to keep it from invasively spreading out into area where you do n’t need it to grow .

The roots of mugwort also bring out chemical substance that can hurt the power of surrounding plant to grow and spread . Keep this in idea when you determine where to implant wormwood works and mugwort in your garden , and what plant you pick out to establish near them . If you do n’t want your mugwort plant life to suppress the ontogenesis of any of the other plants in your garden , you might see planting it in a large container all by itself . Alternatively , you could establish it in an field in your garden that has abstruse borders , or an area where the plant is isolated .

How to Plant Mugwort

place plants out about 12 ” to 18 ” and provide another 12 ” to 18 ” space around the outside of the plants for weeding . Take the transplants out of their pots and skip them down to around eight inch long . Put them in the ground so that they are sitting around the same depth in the land as they were in their starter pots . Fill the filth back in around the industrial plant and pat it down with your hands and then water it well to help it adjust to its new home and to avail decide the dirt .

Care for Mugwort

Mugwort can be produce in the out-of-door garden by gardeners in USDAHardiness Zones4 through 8 . It will grow in all kinds of soil , even poor grease , with pH levels ranging from 6.0 to 7.0 as long as the land offers plenty of drain . ( Not indisputable of the pH stratum in your garden ? consult to our articleHow to Test pH in Your Soil .

Because mugwort spreads so thickly it is often considered invasive , you may wish well to severalise it from the eternal rest of your garden using a container or windowpane loge . you’re able to eat up a container below the surface of the soil if you want to maintain the look of direct planting .

To plant mugwort newspaper clipping , fill a 10 - inch container with horticultural perlite , bequeath half an in of empty space at the top . habituate a pencil or skewer to make a hole for each cut you would like to plant . you may plant up to two or three cuttings per pot . The golf hole should be a third as long as your cuttings are and about double as wide as your cuttings .

Remove the leaves from the bottom third of each cut , and plow the track cease with a take root hormone pulverisation . cut through the cut areas completely with the rootle internal secretion . station each cutting into the depression you create for it , and pull out perlite around each cut to create a small mound to support it .

Water your freshly embed mugwort deeply , until the moisture dribble from the drain trap at the bottom of the container . Move the container outside to a office with heap of brilliant , collateral sun . apply a plastic bag turned upside down over the cutting to make a greenhouse burden , using a rubber band to secure the plastic at the bound of the container . Use a atomiser feeding bottle to haze over the press cutting every couple of days . In a few weeks when push the cutting indicates roots have developed , the plastic bag can be get rid of and mugwort can be transplanted into the garden .

How to Propagate Mugwort

Mugwort is considered invading in many areas because of the far - reaching underground rhizomes it utilize to spread itself . The plant also goes to seed from the death of winter to the beginning of spring , when seed will be hydrated by rainfall in time to sprout for the fountain time of year . You may also spread mugwort by using sporting , sterilise shears to take four- to six - in basal cutting off from the plant in declension after the humidity has fallen for the time of year , abbreviate below the nodes on a spot where new growth has occurred . localise the cuttings in a sunny windowsill in a glass of urine , and planting alfresco when there is no more peril of frost . During the leaping and twilight seasons , mugwort plants may also bepropagated by sectionalisation much as you would a bearded iris .

Garden Pests and Diseases of Mugwort

Mugwort does not struggle with pests and disease . In fact , it is so prolific that in many gardens , it is considered an invasive mourning band . For this intellect , you may wish to get mugwort in a container garden or window corner so that its spread is limited .

How to Harvest Mugwort

When mugwort is in bloom , use clean , sterilize shears to snip off the top third of the plant . Depending on how it is being used , mugwort can be harvested at various times throughout the year and in multiple ways . Some masses glean young shoot in the springtime before it blooms , while others cut and dry a fate of the upper side of the stalking in the late summertime or fall .

How to Store Mugwort

Mugwort can be stored for future function by drying the herb to preserve it . Gather up bundles of mugwort made of several bow held together . Use twine or a rubber band to draw the herb together at the base of the bundle . get a warm , dry place where you could hang the bundles upside down out of the sun , such as a cellar , shed , or service department . It should be a place with plenty of air circulation where the drying herb are not at hazard of being exposed to insect or too much humidness . Take care not to make bundles for dry too big , or they will not dry out quickly enough and may fight with guff or mold .

Mugwort ’s tendency to proliferate makes it a very wanton herb to grow and handle for , and the more mugwort you acquire , the more uses you ’re bound to find for it . Why not add some mugwort to your herb garden this twelvemonth ?

Mugwort plants are naturalize for decorative , culinary , and medicinal purpose . farm mugwort is comparatively light . The hardest part about develop the plant is germinating the seeds and keeping the plant life from growing into areas where it is not want , or suffocating the flora in its dear neighbourhood .