Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus · Perennial
French tarragon does not come true from seed and must be grown from cuttings or division. Dislikes wet feet.
What it needs indoors
- Light
- Full sun6+ hours direct sun
- Water
- Let it dry outAllow to dry between waterings
- Temperature
- 60–70°F
- Growing medium
- Sandy, sharply draining
- Native range
- Dry grassland and steppe across Eurasia
- Difficulty
- Enthusiast
What usually goes wrong
Grown from seed, and it tastes of almost nothing
Seed-grown tarragon is Russian tarragon, a coarser and much blander plant. French tarragon is a sterile clone and cannot be sold as seed at all.
Fix: Buy a plant labelled French tarragon, or beg a cutting off somebody who has one. Rub a leaf before you buy. French tarragon has a strong aniseed smell and Russian barely registers.
Shoots come through thin and sparse after a year or two in the same pot
A congested crown. French tarragon spreads by rhizome and runs out of room, and it also wants a cool rest over winter before it performs properly the following year.
Fix: Divide the crown every second spring, replanting a healthy outer piece into fresh mix. Let it die back and keep it cool and barely watered through winter rather than pushing it to stay green.
Stems blacken at soil level and the plant collapses
Tarragon comes off dry steppe grassland and rots quickly in a mix that stays damp.
Fix: Sandy, sharply draining mix, a pot with a good drainage hole, and no saucer left standing full. Water thoroughly, then leave it until the surface is dry.