Yarrow is one of the easiest plants to grow in the full sun garden. It is an excellent plant for that hot, dry, sunny spot where few other plants will thrive. Here’s what you need to know to grow this plant.
Full sunshine. It gets floppy if you try to grow it in a shaded location.
Not overly great soil. Again, if you overfeed this plant, it will flop.
Soil type: It does much better on well-drained soils. Soils that hold moisture may find that it winter kills.
Getting More – Growing Yarrow Plant
Try and stop it!
It is easily divided (cut off a bit with a sharp shovel) in early spring or fall.
You can sow some varieties, but the better types are now hybrids with long-lasting color, and they don’t come true from seed. You have to do them from cuttings or division. Seed-generated varieties can help self-sow and become weedy. Many hybrids do not spread as quickly, but all should be deadheaded to prevent self-sowing.
Containers and Naturalizing
Yarrows do very well in container growing as they’ll handle the occasional drying out and some abuse without flopping over dead. They also grow well in the naturalized garden. Gardeners in milder climates than mine may find it acts as a semi-evergreen during the winter, while my zone 4 garden kills it right to the ground in the fall.
Varieties include:
Hybrids
‘Anthea’ pale creamy-yellow flowers on silvery foliage blooms for an extended time 24-36 “ tall.
‘Coronation Gold’ long-lasting bright yellow blooms on gray-green foliage –long bloomer 24-36” tall.
‘Moonshine” This is an old standard and still an excellent canary-yellow flowering plant with silvery foliage. Not a spreader. 24” tall and stays in bloom for longer than most.
‘Royal Tapestry’ Royal purple blooms with white centers. Repeat bloomer and 24” tall.
‘Walter Funcke’ the flowers on this one are dark brick-red, and they fade to a terracotta and cream shade.
Cultivars
Achillea filipendulina ‘Feuerland’ (Fireland) is very large red gradually turning apricot yellow, lacy foliage, long bloomer, 24” tall.
Achillea millefolium ‘Apfeblute’ (Appleblossom) lilac-pink flowers above ferny foliage, compact habit blooms a long time, 24” tall.
Achillea millefolium ‘Christel’ is an excellent magenta-pink flower head. 24” tall.
Achillea millefolium ‘Heidi’ is cherry pink flowers on this yarrow that fade to pale pink, 24” tall.
Another cherry red bloom that fades to pink then cream, Achillea millefolium ‘Paprika’ is 24” tall.
An older cultivar of Achillea millefolium ‘Red Beauty’ magenta-red blooms, 24” tall.
Red Velvet Achillea millefolium flowers are rich rose-red with a small golden eye. 24-30″ in height.
White flowers on feathery leaves, long bloomer, are 18” tall Achillea millefolium ‘Snow Sport’.
