Use Chamomile as a Summer Ground Cover To Carpet Your Lawn in Flowers

If you've ever wished your lawn was awash in flowers instead of grass, there's a summertime ground cover that can make your wishes come true. Chamomile is perhaps best known for its uses in beauty products and herbal teas, but it's also a lovely blooming addition to lawns.

Chamomile's scientific names are Chamaemelum nobile and Anthemis nobilis, and it has many other common names as well. It's also known as Roman chamomile, English chamomile, and garden chamomile. You may also hear it referred to as ground apple, sweet chamomile, or low chamomile.

This low-maintenance planting has a spreading habit and produces small white daisy-like flowers and aromatic leaves that emit an apple-like fragrance. In the South, they flower during June and July, though the flowering season can stretch into the autumn months. While often used in pots and borders, chamomile can also be easily adapted for use as a ground cover. When planted in large quantities, it creates a fragrant, no-fuss lawn.

A chamomile lawn requires moderate water and full to partial sun in order to thrive. Once planted, heavy foot traffic will take its toll, while light and occasional walking is more likely to keep the lawn looking its best. According to The New Southern Living Garden Book, chamomile is also "useful between stepping stones or as a low edging along path." For planting, the garden book recommends 'Treneague,' which is a nonflowering selection, as well as 'Flore Pleno,' which has double daisy-like flowers when it blooms.

If you're ready to ditch grass for ground cover, check out our other ideas for creative lawns, including easy ground covers for sun or shade, out-of-the-box ground covers, and additional grass alternatives.

Have you ever tried growing ground cover, or are you attached to grass lawns? Would you consider planting a fragrant chamomile lawn?