PlantFiles: Yarrow, Milfoil, Staunchweed, Sanguinary, Thousandleaf, Soldier's Woundwort
Achillea millefolium

This mat forming perennial has soft and feathery foliage that spreads by rhizomes. The common white yarrow has a reputation of being invasive in the garden but there are many hybrid cultivars with better manners for sale at garden centers. Its name achillea comes from the legend that it was used by Achilles to stop the bleeding of his wounded soldiers. Millefolium means “thousand leaved” referring to it’s finely divided ferny leaves. It is still used medicinally by herbalist as a styptic, for treating fevers, colds, and liver disorders. The flat flower clusters reach 4 inchess across and they hold their color well when dried, making it useful in dried floral crafts. Plants prefer full sun and well-drained soil but it’s tolerant of wide range of conditions and useful for trouble spots in the garden. Plants are hardy in zones 3-9 and grow 1 1/2 - 3 ft tall.

Flowers are produced over a long season of bloom, June through September. Start indoors 8 weeks before last frost. Tolerant of dry soils, this achillea grows 2-3’ tall and should be spaced a similar distance apart. Well suited for the vase, and outstanding as dried cuts, with stiff stems and persistent color. They also attract butterflies.

Yarrow is a lovely wild flower that requires no care and blooms reliably.
The fine leaves and flowers make a lovely contrast against the coarser
plants in the medow. I like this plant very much.

Wild Yarrow or Milfoil grows in old fields, edges of woodlands and thickets.
Introduced from Europe milfoil is now naturalized in North America.
It is an excellent plant for the home garden and is extensively cultivated.
Many medicinal uses are made of this plant. Milfoil is referred to as Yarrow in the old herbals.
This plant volunteered in my garden and has done very well for me here in Arlington, Texas.
Josephine Keeney, [HYPERLINK@www.texasstar.org]

This is a yarrow that spreads quickly and produces its fair share of starry white flowers thoughout the warmer months. If dead headed immediately it will rebloom. This plant is very drought tolerant. pokerboy.

Deadhead to lateral buds to prolong bloom period. Older plants may not respond as well as young plants do to deadheading efforts. Very wet soil may make this plant somewhat leggy. This plant is known for having an invasive habit in the garden, but diligent deadheading can prevent reseeding.

Another herbal medicine cabinet must, it is a tonic and astrigent. One of our bunny's favorite treats. A super filler for dry area backgrounds, easily controlled by dead heading.

Today we broke down and dug all this out. We found it was taking over the secret garden we had it planted in, and we also didn't like it's odor.

I have read that yarrow is hardy in zones 2-10. Light aids germination of seeds.

This lovely wildflower/herb grows wild throughout Virginia, & I have quite a bit of it out in my fields, where it mingles beautifully with the wild ageratum, rudbeckia, queen anne's lace, etc.

Adapts readily to all sorts of growing conditions so long as it has full sun to partial shade, makes a lovely addition to informal arrangments, & the leaves can be finely minced & sparingly added to salads, although they are horrendously bitter, so that's not a use I wholeheartedly recommend. In years past the plant was commonly used in different herbal medicine preparations.

Just give it its own bed. It stays there pretty well. Yes, it can become invasive if you plant it in a bed with other plants.

Every summer, when I was a child, we would spend our summers in upstate NY, at Swan Lake.

These were the most popular wildflowers I saw and I'd make big bouquets for my grandma.

I was always wondering why I never saw them here in MD. Well, yesterday I was looking along my neighbor's neglected deer fence for wild flowers and I came across these diamonds in the rough.

I made the mistake of planting Yarrow amongst other, more labor-intensive plants once, before understanding how it spreads (rhizomes) and so on. Now, I take advantage of its "invasiveness" to fill in an otherwise mangey-looking mostly-sunny spot along our otherwise wooded driveway. It's a refreshing break from all the weed trees, cedars, scrub growth, etc. Mullein usually pops up in the same area every year, so I'm liking it a lot. Note that when you pop for the wildly colored Yarrows that sometimes show up in nurseries, it's likely to revert back to its native off-white the following season. I found that to be true of a wine-colored variety I had once. Let it be the Yarrow it wants to be. Mine did great during last year's drought, when everything else was looking poor.