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Sweet Annie

 
We planted some Sweet Annie several years ago, and it comes back every year.  We love it in our garden; it is beautiful growing and  useful, too. Actually, it is behind the fence next to the drainage ditch, but it is still part of our garden.
 

Sweet Annie, Artemisia annua, is also known as sweet wormwood or sweet sagewort.  Like all the artemisias, the smell is sweet and strong.  In these photos, the Sweet Annie is behind the beautyberries. 
 


Its strong odor deters insects, and has been used for hundreds of years in linen closets and pantries and places that need a little freshening up. 
 
Many years ago, I made a wreath of the stems to put in the basement to look good and smell good.  Ten years later, there was still a faint smell to it.  This year, Hub and I made a new one.
 
 
It is hanging in the basement, and you can smell it as soon as you walk downstairs.  I'm loving it.
We also keep a little in the car to keep it fresh-smelling.
 
It is hard to believe, but there are people in this world who think this beautiful plant is nothing but a weed. I just can't understand it.
 


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