Asked on Sep 14, 2013

Sweet Annie, When Do I Harvest It?

ByLightOfMoon
by ByLightOfMoon
Here is a photograph of my Sweet Annie and I am not sure when to trim it back for fall.
It has small buds on it now and a couple of shoots are flowering. Do I harvest iit before or after the buds open - this is my first time growing it. I appreciate any help with it!
Smiles, Cyndi
Sweet Annie Small buds, when do I harvest it? Smiles, Cyndi
Sweet Annie When do I harvest it? Smiles, Cyndi
Sweet Annie tiny flowers, when do I cut it back and dry it? Smiles, Cyndi
Sweet Annie When do I harvest it? Smiles, Cyndi
  14 answers
  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Sep 14, 2013
    @ByLightOfMoon I found a site with good information - http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/wormwood/wormwood-plant-growing-sweet-annie.htm Others may have more information. The one thing I noted was that this can be an invasive plant so you may want to start the control now by gettting rid of some of the seed pods. Look next spring to make sure you don't have an over abundance of them next year.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Sep 15, 2013
    According to the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, you should be able to harvest in November: http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Artemisia-annua.htm
  • Mary Weets Mary Weets on Sep 16, 2013
    what do you harvest it for??
  • E. Menard E. Menard on Sep 16, 2013
    harvest some of it now and see if the buds open upon drying (hang upside down) you'll know within 3-5 days if the buds will open. at the same time, keep a daily watch on the remaining plant, once the flower buds open, the color will be a slight yellow-mustard. harvest at that stage. we live in south east ohio and I've already gathered and made two wreaths, using a metal coat hanger for the larger size and a wide mouth canning ring for the smaller size. make sure, no matter what the finished product will be, that your bundles or bouquets are really full and "chubby-like " because it will shrink upon drying.
  • E. Menard E. Menard on Sep 16, 2013
    you harvest it for the aroma and as a Autumn addition to any arrangement. its a great moth repellant in any drawer, cupboard, container that might be prone to a closed-up-space-kinda odor. once you find it, remember the spot and go back year after year to gather it. also, sow some in your own garden spot for just in case the area is sprayed by the county, which happened this year in our area. :(
  • Tanya Peterson Felsheim Tanya Peterson Felsheim on Sep 16, 2013
    Never heard of it or its properties! Sounds like something I should look into unless it doesn't like the pacific northwest!
  • Debbie Darche Debbie Darche on Sep 16, 2013
    D. Darche leeds, al. It looks like the awful weeds I can't kill that come up in my dog yards. I have pulled and sprayed every year but they keep coming back in the same area. Is there another name for this plant?
    • Valeria Kenny Valeria Kenny on Sep 18, 2013
      @Debbie Darche A weed is just a plant that comes up where you don't want it. Make wreaths and harvest it! Reply
  • Anna Marie Gustafson Anna Marie Gustafson on Sep 17, 2013
    This plant is airy, gracefully branching and very aromatic--love this one in the garden--will let some of it go to seed for spreading and will harvest some for wreaths...beautiful against our home for color and adds a bit of ht to out garden at 4 ft currently...will not stand well in high winds, we staked it when we noted this recently...
    comment photo
  • Anna Marie Gustafson Anna Marie Gustafson on Sep 17, 2013
    OOPS, forgot to mention, Sweet Annie is the plant in the back--beautiful green...
  • Valeria Kenny Valeria Kenny on Sep 18, 2013
    Cyndi- what are you using the wine bottles for? I use them and the big wine jugs for watering.
  • Valeria Kenny Valeria Kenny on Sep 18, 2013
    Took this from the link in the first post- I had no idea it was wormwood! "There are many varieties of Artemisia, also known as mugwort and wormwood plant. One of the most common varieties grown for its sweet-smelling, silvery foliage is sweet wormwood (A. annua) or sweet Annie plant"
  • Patricia Patricia on Sep 28, 2018

    we harvest in late September and October. my question is "how to get rid of the bugs that hide in it? can it be submerged in water and be ok?


  • Gary Griffith Gary Griffith on Sep 16, 2020

    according to science... a weed is any non native plant to your region. So saying a weed is something we don't want in our garden is false our gardens are full of weeds we like!

  • Ursula Ursula on Oct 28, 2021

    Sweet Annie should be harvested when the buds start to open and the flowers begin to turn yellow around late summer. You should cut your plant in the morning or evening. This plant grows quickly and gets woody so you will probably need looping shears or a pruning saw. Make sure to cut the dead flowerheads if you don’t cut it before it blooms, otherwise it will self sow.

    Here is my article about how to grow sweet Annie:

    https://herbamedicine.com/sweet-annie-artemisia/