Roman Chamomile is a perennial medicinal herb, long valued for its traditional uses. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9, stands up to deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Roman Chamomile — the short answer
Roman Chamomile: grown in zones 3–9, full sun, pH 5.5–8, about 90 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5.5–8
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 90 days
- UMD-Herb; RHS
- Frost-kill temperature
- 32°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Roman Chamomile on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether roman chamomile actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score roman chamomile against your land's real conditions.
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What Roman Chamomile is
Roman Chamomile grows as a perennial and reaches around 6 inches at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Roman Chamomile
Roman Chamomile grows in USDA zones 3 through 9 and is ready to harvest about 90 days after planting. Roman Chamomile does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 8, on well-drained ground. It needs around 700 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 180 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 8
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
32°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
37.4°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
90 days
Roman chamomile; perennial; mat-forming groundcover.
UMD-Herb; RHS
GDD Required
700+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
0.5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
180+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant roman chamomile in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Roman Chamomile prefers pH 5.5 to 8 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Harvest the part you grow roman chamomile for — flower, leaf, or root — at its seasonal peak.
Where Roman Chamomile thrives
Roman Chamomile is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–9 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 42 outright and splits 9 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Two different numbers hide in that range: zones 3–9 is where roman chamomile is GROWN, but it survives winter in the ground only down to zone 4 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder). Colder than that, it is grown as an annual or brought under cover.
Zones 3–9·Where Roman Chamomile growsOpen map →
Where Roman Chamomile stands, state by state
Roman Chamomile is rated for zones 3–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 42 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 9 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–9
42 states
3 of 42 shown
The line runs through
9 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 9 shown
Roman Chamomile’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Roman Chamomile
Growing guides for roman chamomile
In rotation planning, roman chamomile counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — roman chamomile isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Roman Chamomile offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Before you harvest roman chamomile, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant roman chamomile for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Roman Chamomile's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Roman Chamomile will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether roman chamomile actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Roman Chamomile
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Roman Chamomile in my zone?
Roman Chamomile grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Roman Chamomile take to grow?
Roman Chamomile is ready to harvest about 90 days after planting (UMD-Herb; RHS). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Roman Chamomile?
Most growers plant roman chamomile after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 180-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Roman Chamomile need?
Roman Chamomile needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Roman Chamomile need?
Roman Chamomile prefers soil pH 5.5 to 8, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Roman Chamomile attract pollinators?
Yes — roman chamomile's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Roman Chamomile safe for pets?
Roman Chamomile is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)