Southernwood young plant in black nursery pot with finely feathered silvery green foliage
Mature southernwood bush with feathery green foliage beside a garden path
Close-up of southernwood&
Dense mass of feathery southernwood foliage
Southernwood young plant in black nursery pot with finely feathered silvery green foliage
Mature southernwood bush with feathery green foliage beside a garden path
Close-up of southernwood&
Dense mass of feathery southernwood foliage

Southernwood

Southernwood

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Feathery green foliage with a sharp lemon and camphor scent. An old cottage-garden shrub for moth sachets, posies and low hedges.
Engraved aluminium ·
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
  • In stock, ready to ship
  • Inventory on the way
  • Position Full sun
  • Height 1 to 1.5m
  • Life cycle Perennial, drops some leaves in cold winters
  • Frost Frost hardy
  • Water Copes with dry spells
  • Grow in Pot or garden300mm+ pot
What do these mean?
Perennial
Lives for several years.
Full sun
At least six hours of direct sun a day.
Frost hardy
Handles regular frosts.
300mm+ pot
The smallest pot it's happy in long term. It grows just as well in the garden.

Your postcode stays on this device.

Harvest
Snip sprigs any time. For drying, cut the shoot tips in late summer.
Uses
Insect repellent, Fragrance, Hedging, Ornamental
Soil
Well drained
Usually available
All year
Botanical name
Artemisia abrotanum

You'll receive 1 plant in a 50 x 75mm tube, grown here and certified organic. We can't send plants to WA, NT or TAS.

Plants dispatched Monday and Tuesday via Express Post

Our shipping costs are a flat rate, meaning you can add any amount of products to your order and you will pay the same.

Express Post - $12.95
Plants are sent via Express Post only.

Dispatch days: Monday and Tuesday only.

We can send plants to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and ACT.

We cannot send plants to Western Australia, Northern Territory or Tasmania due to restrictions.

*Subject to actual conditions. Find out more on our Delivery information page.

We want you to be thrilled with your purchase from us. If you are not satisfied with an item and need to return it, we're here to help.

If you are unhappy with the quality of herb plants, they must be photographed on the day of receiving and emailed to us within 24 hours.

Find out more about our Returns & Refunds.

Customer reviews

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 16 customer reviews for Southernwood.

Rated 5 out of 5. Quality plants. I am always impressed with the quality of plants from Herb Cottage. They arrive with perfect root systems that are never pot bound. My new southernwood is settling in the ground beautifully, despite all the rain. I look forward to using it for medicinal use. Anonymous , April 2022.

Rated 5 out of 5. Herb collection. Wonderful communication and growing tips as I awaited my herbs. They all arrived beautifully labelled and fresh as daisies. So excited to add to my small collection with the aim to indulge in a small, intentionally picked, herb salad on most evenings. Thank you so much. Helen , August 2025.

Rated 5 out of 5. Arrived in perfect condition and is growing well! Super happy, will definitely purchase from here again. Daniella Nelson Hill , May 2026.

Rated 5 out of 5. Great service and plants arrived looking very perfectly perky transplanted very well. Cant wait to get them in the ground at my new home. Joanne Puckering , April 2026.

Rated 5 out of 5. Southernwood. Plant was delivered safe and healthy within days of purchase. Came with growing tips and planting guide to assist in a successful transition from pot to growth quickly. A lovely personalised experience that comes with loads of supportive advice. Highly recommend this family owned and run business to your garden. Prue Dent , April 2023.

Rated 5 out of 5. Great Service and plants arrived happy!. So delighted by my purchase from Mudbrick Cottage. First time getting plants in the post - and I am totally sold on the idea. Thanks to the whole team. You're looking at one very happy customer Anonymous , November 2022.

Rated 5 out of 5. So so happy ❣️. I have never bought a plant online before and l must admit l didn’t think it would travel as well as it did. Thank you so much to you and your team. I couldn’t be happier.I will definitely be buying from you again,Thank you,Vicki Vicki Wood , September 2021.

Rated 5 out of 5. The herbs reached on time, and in excellent condition! Franco Pietropaoli , December 2023.

Mature southernwood bush with feathery green foliage beside a garden path

Growing southernwood

Southernwood is a bushy, woody-based shrub with soft, feathery green leaves that release a sharp scent when you brush past. The scent varies from plant to plant, mostly lemony with a camphor edge, sometimes closer to tangerine. The "cola plant" sold overseas is a named selection, 'Coca-Cola', and even that smells only faintly of cola.

Grow it in full sun. It handles wind and coastal conditions but not heavy, wet soil. It's grown for its foliage, and the small, dull-yellow flowers of late summer are easy to miss. In cool climates it often doesn't flower at all.

Left alone it gets woody and straggly, so cut it back hard once a year, in late winter or early spring as new shoots appear near the base. It takes clipping well and makes a fragrant low hedge or path edging, and a few broken branches don't bother it.

Ours are grown from cuttings, which strike readily. Take tip cuttings in autumn or spring.

In a pot, use a good free-draining potting mix and water well only once it's dry 5cm down (push a finger in to check).

Close-up of southernwood's fine, feathery green leaves

Harvesting

Snip sprigs whenever you like, as regular cutting keeps the plant bushy. For drying, cut the shoot tips in late summer and hang them in small bunches somewhere shady and airy. The leaves hold their scent well once dried.

Dense mass of feathery southernwood foliage

Using it

The French once called southernwood garde-robe, wardrobe, because moths were said to leave clothes alone when it was laid among them. Fill small cloth sachets with the dried leaves for drawers and wardrobes, tuck sprigs into the straw of chook nesting boxes, or scatter leaves along ant trails.

For a garden spray against aphids and whitefly, pour a litre of boiling water over two firmly packed cups of chopped leaves and stems, let it cool, then strain it and use it within a few days.

In Europe a little of the bitter, lemony leaf flavours meats, salads, cottage cheese and some vermouths and liqueurs. Don't eat or drink southernwood if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy.

The story of southernwood

The name means southern wormwood: to the English it was the foreign wormwood from southern Europe, unlike their own native one. Its old names include Lad's Love and Boy's Love, from the sprig that went into the posies country lads gave their sweethearts, and Mrs Grieve recorded country lads using an ointment of its ashes in the hope of growing a beard. It's also Old Man and Appleringie.

Women carried it to church for centuries. In Sweden a sprig went into the church posy from the 1500s to the late 1800s, to sniff through long sermons and stay awake. One account tells of young women competing to find the best-smelling plant, then tickling the young men's noses with it. Its branches were also used to dye wool yellow.

When your plants arrive

Follow these three steps so your herb plants survive and thrive.

  1. Step 1

    Unwrap

    Remove any tape and unwrap your plants carefully. Pick off any yellow or damaged leaves.

  2. Step 2

    Soak

    Sit the tubes in a container of water or weak seaweed solution until the air bubbles stop, then lift them out. Don't leave them sitting in water. We use our own Seaweed Boost.

  3. Step 3

    Plant

    Plant them as soon as you can. If you can't yet, repeat step 2 every day and give them some sun until they're planted.

How we pack and send your plants

We water, wrap and tape every plant, then send them by Express Post on Mondays and Tuesdays.

More growing tips and videos

Planting it in the ground or a pot

In the ground

  • Choose a spot with free-draining soil and the right amount of sun for the plant. Digging in some compost helps.
  • Dig a hole a little bigger than the root ball, ease the plant out of its tube and cover the roots gently with soil.
  • Water it in well, then dig a finger in beside the plant to check the soil is wet right down.
  • Sprinkle an organic fertiliser around it, and mulch to hold in moisture and keep the weeds down.
  • Water every day for the first week, then twice a week. Once it's settled in, once a week is usually enough.

In a pot

  • Use a pot with plenty of drainage holes and a good organic potting mix.
  • Plant it the same way, then water it in well. Push a finger 5cm into the mix to check it's wet through.
  • Add an organic slow-release fertiliser on top. Even mixes with fertiliser added rarely have enough for long.
  • Water every day for the first week, then regularly: pots dry out much faster than garden beds.

In very hot or cold spells, a weak seaweed solution helps plants cope.

The information on this page is general information for educational purposes. It isn't medical advice.

  • 5 stars: 16 (100%)
  • 4 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 3 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
A
Anonymous
Quality plants

I am always impressed with the quality of plants from Herb Cottage. They arrive with perfect root systems that are never pot bound. My new southernwood is settling in the ground beautifully, despite all the rain. I look forward to using it for medicinal use.

Anonymous review photo
A
Anonymous
Great product and service

The herb was packed well, arrived quickly and was very healthy

Anonymous review photo
D
Della

Arrived in perfect condition and is growing well! Super happy, will definitely purchase from here again.

J
Joanne

Great service and plants arrived looking very perfectly perky transplanted very well. Cant wait to get them in the ground at my new home.

H
Helen
Herb collection

Wonderful communication and growing tips as I awaited my herbs. They all arrived beautifully labelled and fresh as daisies. So excited to add to my small collection with the aim to indulge in a small, intentionally picked, herb salad on most evenings. Thank you so much.

K
Kym
Yay

Awesome just what I needed

F
F.P.

The herbs reached on time, and in excellent condition!

P
Prue
Southernwood

Plant was delivered safe and healthy within days of purchase. Came with growing tips and planting guide to assist in a successful transition from pot to growth quickly. A lovely personalised experience that comes with loads of supportive advice. Highly recommend this family owned and run business to your garden.

A
Anonymous
Great Service and plants arrived happy!

So delighted by my purchase from Mudbrick Cottage. First time getting plants in the post - and I am totally sold on the idea. Thanks to the whole team. You're looking at one very happy customer

V
Vicki
So so happy ❣️

I have never bought a plant online before and l must admit l didn’t think it would travel as well as it did. Thank you so much to you and your team. I couldn’t be happier.I will definitely be buying from you again,Thank you,Vicki

A
Anonymous
Herb delivery to Melbourne

I have ordered three lots of herbs now and am impressed with the health and quality of the plants and how they were packaged, along with explicit instructions. Very easy to order online, delivery is exceptionally quick and I like the ability to be notified when stock is available again. I will highly recommend this company for the above along with the variety available.

B
Beatrice
splendid plants

I wanted to choose my favourite herbs for my daughter's herb garden and southernwood or artemisia abrotanum is one of my top favourites, with its strong scent.The plant from Mudbrick Herb Cottage was excellent - in fact I bought two. One was a giveaway to the local Community Gardens whose herb beds need some interesting additions.I planted the other in a terracotta pot so that it could be moved around to find its best position in frosty temperatures. Since it flourishes in southern New Zealand I don't anticipate any problems.The plants arrived in excellent time, well potted up, well supported and were very healthy and attractive.So great satisfaction all round.Thank you Mudbrick Herb Cottage.

A
Anonymous
Lovely little herbs

Great little plants, fantastic range of things hard to source. Arrived promptly and well-packaged. Growing well!

A
Anne
Southernwood

Very strong plants - packed well, good instructions.. Very happy.

D
Desmond
Strong, well-grown plants.

I'm extremely happy with my recent purchase of mugwort, southernwood and wormwood. The plants are very healthy and have settled in very easily. You certainly know how to keep herbs looking great. Thanks heaps!

D
Devon
Southernwood

I ordered Southernwood from Mudbrick Cottage and I am very pleased to have found this herb. I ordered Salvia Apiana and other plants which are all thriving. Very prompt delivery and plants were carefully and thoughtfully wrapped. Thanks, Devon.

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