PlantFiles: Sweet Annie, Sweet Sagewort, Annual Wormwood, Huang Hua Hao
Artemisia annua

A friend of mine gave me some Sweet Annie to dry in my kitchen. It smelled so wonderful and interestingly, the scent changed over time as it dried. I loved it so much she gave me some seedlings which I planted in a fairly shady bed with hostas, pachysandra, and heuchera. They really took to the spot as she said they would. Anyway, I love it and frankly if it takes over my yard the smell is worth it. Talk to me in five years though!

From your friends at Botanical Interests: Sweet Annie is an annual with finely cut, highly aromatic green foliage and reaches 4'-6' tall in one season! Also known as 'Sweet Wormwood', this heirloom plant is a must for anyone who loves to make wreaths, potpurri, or herbal crafts. the pleasantly scented foliage also makes a nice floral filler in vases where it is often substituted for Baby's Breath. It produces insignificant chartreuse flowers in late summer to fall which should be removed if reseeding is not desirable.
This plant grows best in full sun and is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds.

This is also beautiful in containers, but do remember to trim it before the flowers seed.

Otherwise, we like to grow this in an area where we can mow and keep it in check. The smell then is GREAT.

I bought Sweet Annie from a local garden club sale because it was reported to repel deer who have become a big problem in our suburban Pittsburgh PA community. Joemnk

Sweet Annie self-sows and grows abundantly in my garden. As a floral designer, I love to cut it and use it in dried wreaths, tabletop Christmas trees, etc. every year. I also love its scent and use it incorporated in bows to tie on Christmas presents or other small gifts (like bars of soap). Even though it is very invasive, I can generally use all of it, so it's worth putting up with its height and the fact that it, along with tansy, have pretty much taken over one of my gardens.

Yes, this plant reseeds itself profusely; it is not pretty; but the scent is wonderful. I first got this plant from a coworker in Indiana, brought it to Arkansas, and it has never failed to come back. I always keep at least one plant in my garden. We hang some in our house every fall and enjoy the scent every time we walk by.

I love the fragrance of this plant! It is an annual for me and has never reseeded though I wouldn't mind a few new seedings to sprout each year.

I have Sweet Annie growing under a maple tree. The harsh conditions keep it in check! A few self-seeded volunteers come up, but not bad. It's a wonderfully aromatic plant to use dried in wreathes, etc., though it doesn't add much to the garden scene in my opinion.

Do yourself a favor and don't allow Sweet Annie to go to seed in your garden! I learned the hard way and have been pulling out seedlings for years.