Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
Tarragon is a perennial herb with narrow leaves and a sweet, aniseed flavour used in French cooking, sauces and vinegars. French tarragon is grown from cuttings and prefers dry, sunny conditions and a cool winter.
Photo: Joanna Boisse · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun, Partial sun
Watering
Low
Water when the soil is dry; it rots in wet soil.
Soil
Light, well-drained soil; pH 6.5–7.5.
Temperature and humidity
-5–30 °C · Low humidity
Feeding
Light feeding once in spring.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by stem cuttings, division
Pinch tips regularly and cut back in late autumn.
Safe in cooking amounts. Tarragon can cause stomach upset in cats and dogs.
Top Cultivation Tips
Buy plants, as French tarragon rarely sets seed.
Russian tarragon from seed has less flavour.
Grow in a pot in hot, humid areas.
Divide every few years.
Common problems
Aphids
Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new shoots and buds, sucking sap and leaving sticky honeydew behind.
How to treat it →DiseasePowdery mildew
A fungal disease that coats leaves, buds and young shoots with a white, flour-like dust, weakening the plant and spoiling flowers and fruit.
How to treat it →DiseaseRoot rot
Roots decay in waterlogged soil, so the plant wilts and yellows even though the soil is wet.
How to treat it →
