The big show of spring has passed and our gardens seem tame compared to the flashy weeks with peonies, iris and poppies blooming. Lots of foliage marks the passing of spring, a time when plants are eager to feed themselves via photosynthesis to produce mature seeds. It's a time when the garden goes green, really green.

Thankfully there are a few flowers that fill the gap after the big show.

One of my favorites is feverfew or Tanacetum parthenium. A biennial or short lived perennial, it is closely related to chamomile. From Eurasia, it probably arrived with grain and animal feed, as so many field flowers did. The flowers are small white daisies on 2 to 3 foot plants that flower for many weeks. There is a relatively uncommon yellow leafed variety, which is much shorter. The yellow foliage is very attractive, especially when the small white daisies arrive.

In the scheme of flowering plants, this is considered a pioneer. Short lived, blooms for along time, and produces lots of seed. It can certainly get out of hand, good management is recommended and not difficult to do. I cut them back severely after the plants finish blooming, even pulling some out entirely. All that's really needed is 1 or 2 plants which will provide enough seed to fill gaps in the garden. In fall you will see young plants here and there, if too many return pull or hoe some out.

Good planting companions include the shrub spirea, lilies, larkspur, cone flowers and roses.

The common name, feverfew, comes from its medicinal use in prevention and management of migraine headaches. The name comes from the Latin febrifugia, meaning "driver out of fevers". Herbalists also used the leaves to treat indigestion and it was commonly used to promote menstrual flow. Crushed leaves and stems produce a yellow juice which has been used as a dye for fabrics. The plant is said to repel bees as it contains pyrethrin, a natural insecticidal compound. A common pollinator is the hover fly, which looks like a bee (but is just a fly) and in its larval form eats aphids therefore considered a very beneficial insect.

If I were to plan a garden using the small white daisies of feverfew, I would include babies breath (preferably the variety 'Bristol Fairy'), then add the new coneflower 'Virgin' (Echinacea p. 'Virgin') and finish it off with the ornamental elderberry named 'Sutherland Gold' (with white flowers at the same time). Now that would make for a gorgeous white garden with a touch of yellow from the elderberry foliage. A garden to brighten up the months of June and July.