Yarrow can come in a bright yellow variety, but it can also be red or pink.
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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Yarrow Plants
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a native North American plant that is popular with pollinators and practically carefree, making it perfect for borders, ground covers, and open meadows. Here’s how to grow yarrow flowers in your garden!
About Yarrow
Sold as a hardy and versatile perennial, yarrow has showy flower heads composed of many tiny, tightly-packed flowers rising above clusters of ferny foliage. The flowers may be yellow, red, pink, or any shade in between. Yarrow is pest-resistant, drought-resistant, attracts butterflies, and is excellent for cutting and drying.
The plant is also an aromatic herb that has many healing properties! See this wonderful article, Yarrow and Its Medicinal Uses.
Planting
When to Plant Yarrow
- Plant in the spring or early summer after the danger of frost has passed. See local frost dates.
- If you plant yarrow from tip cuttings, plant them in spring or early summer.
Choosing a Preparing a Planting Site
- Plant in an area that receives full sun to encourage compact growth and many flowers. In partial sun or shade, yarrow tends to grow leggy.
- Yarrow performs best in well-drained soil. It thrives in hot, dry conditions; it will not tolerate constantly wet soil. Loamy soil is recommended, but yarrow can also be grown in clay soil as long as it does not always stay saturated with water.
- Use a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil in your garden to about 12 to 15 inches deep, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
- If you grow yarrow in soil that is too rich, the plants may require staking due to overenthusiastic growth. To keep it from growing too tall, choose a site with average to poor soil and supplement it with some compost to give the plants a good start.
How to Plant Yarrow
- Space the plants 1 to 2 feet apart.
- They are quick to establish and spread, though some species, like Achillea millefolium, are extra-aggressive growers, so be careful when choosing your plants. Most kinds grow to be about 2 to 4 feet tall.
Growing
How to Grow Yarrow
- Add a thin layer of compost around your plants each spring to keep them fed.
- Yarrow is very drought tolerant, but if you receive less than 1 inch of rain a week in the summer, remember to water your plants to keep them looking their best.
- Cut off “deadhead” flowers when they start to fade in mid-summer; this encourages most varieties to produce another round of flowers.
- Divide yarrow plants every 3 to 5 years to sustain vigorous, healthy plants. Lift the clumps in early spring or fall and remove any dead stems from the center of the clump. You can replant the divisions elsewhere in the garden or share with a friend!
Catherine Boeckmann
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I saw a similar article - it says Yarrow is among the clay-busting plants to grow in the garden.
I worked as an intern at a place where we planted yarrow (and other native plants in the area).
The soil had never been cultivated before, as there was a lot of clay and rocks instead of just dirt.
The yarrow seems to be doing extremely well, and has grown a lot since the time I planted them in.
It should be fine, but I'm not too sure if different types of clay make any difference.
a
I live in upstate NY do you cut this down in the fall
After collecting yarrow from wild- do you wash it prior to drying for tea or adding to oil/water for medicinal, bath/beauty products? I am new to collecting and all instructions say to collect after dew is dry but my yarrow is dusty.
If you are harvesting fresh yarrow leaves and they have any moisture on them, you have to let them dry out before using. So, if your yarrow is dusty, you can certainly wash it lightly, but then it needs to dry out. The dried aromatic leaves can be used to make a tea but we would add mint or it can be quite a bitter tea, often used as a cold remedy.
I have some paprika yarrow that a racoon dug up. I replanted them and staked them for added support. My plan is to deadhead them. I have new growth forming around the crown. I was wondering if I can cut back the stalks that were damaged by the racoon, which happens to be where I need to deadhead.
I would advise cutting back any damaged, broken, or dead stems and letting the new growth take over. Try to cut back to just above a leaf. This will help to encourage the plants to branch out and potentially produce more flowers.
how much water does a yarrow need to grow plus shade and sun
I am planning to move to Palm Springs and want to grow Yarrow, one of my favourite plants. I am concerned about it surviving in the desert heat and possibly in full sun.
See above: Yarrow thrives in heat. Safe travels!
