Perennial Yarrow: Easy-Care Pollinator Magnet

The Yarrow family of hardy plants have been used by savvy gardeners for millennia, since before the Roman times as medicinal herbs and garden ornamentals! Versatile and highly adaptable sun garden plants, these summer-flowering gems fill the last half of the growing season in unique beauty and color!

Get to know more about this vivid and incredibly easy-to-grow herbaceous perennial and its long-lasting late-season flowers!

All About Yarrow

All About Yarrow

The name Achillea comes from Greek mythology in the legend of Achilles, who was dipped in the Yarrow-laced water of the River Styx by his mother when he was a baby. Holding him by his heel, this spot was missed when he was dipped, creating his so-called Achilles heel, which would prove to be his fatal weakness in battle. Achilles also used Yarrow’s extracts to treat his soldier's wounds during the Battle of Troy.

While the legend was the stuff of myth, the latter is actually quite true! The foliage has been used as nature's bandaid and helps sanitize cuts and staunch bleeding, among many other uses for digestion, treating colds and flu, brewing beer, and is even considered a symbol of good luck!

As an ornamental perennial that is native to North America, as well as Europe and Asia, Yarrow is beloved for its aromatic ferny foliage that is feathery, and lush green! The Latin name “millefolium” means “a thousand leaves”, and the lacy mounds are certainly just that! You'll love running your hand along the finely cut, deep-green foliage that is aromatic and has a spicy, medicinal, and pleasing scent.

Yarrow is a vigorous, yet compact grower, and some cultivars spread to form small colonies and act as groundcover, while others are more upright growing. Incredibly resilient and hardy, Yarrow can grow in poor, rocky soils and thrive in harsh conditions, as well as hot, humid summers and cold winters. Preferring disturbed Xeric sites, this is the perfect plant for those trickier locations and brown thumbs!

Members of the Aster family, the flat-topped to domed flower clusters are packed with tiny florets that are the perfect landing pads for both your local nectar-seeking butterflies and pollinators who adore these blooms, but also pollen-eating bees and beneficial insects will also appreciate these versatile flowering powerhouses!

Landscaping With Yarrow

The most obvious place to include Yarrow is in the Butterfly Garden! Any garden will become a Pollinator border with this floriferous perennial in its midst!

The bold hues and repeat blooms just "pop" in Cottage Gardens, too! The lovely mix of fine-textured foliage and unique flowers is a must-have for your Cut Flower gardens (the blooms even look beautiful when dried!), Wildflower borders, mixed Perennial Garden, and mixed Native or Prairie plantings! Yarrow always shows off with incredible color from summer until frost!

Let this adaptable and resilient perennial fill in around the base of taller perennials and flowering shrubs as an unforgettable groundcover and garden filler! A lacy fringe of Yarrow along the front of a garden bed as edging or along a sunny pathway will become your favorite place to stroll!

Hardy enough for that hell strip along the road or sidewalk, around sunny seating areas, or in that sunbaked garden around the mailbox, these little plants stand up to harsh conditions beautifully!

The Achillea varieties are a great choice for mass planting and are drought-tolerant! Plant this brilliant plant in your Rock Gardens and Xeric plantings. Yarrow is a must-have for defensible space planting in any firewise landscape.

Even if you don’t have a landscape, any sunny planter or mixed container around your sun-drenched porch, patio, or pool deck suits these plants just fine!

Caring For Yarrow

Yarrow is a hardy herbaceous perennial and should be planted in full sun, nothing less than 6 hours a day will do!

Tolerant to hot humid summers, Yarrow can tolerate poor soil conditions but does best in lean, dry to medium wet, well-drained soil. They can be adaptable to almost any soil with adequate drainage. Once established, allow your Yarrow to dry between waterings for best success because they despise soggy soil. Too much water or soil that is too rich can cause the plants to droop over from the weight of their own flowers.

New plants should be watered regularly and not allowed to dry out completely. Less frequent deep waterings are better than frequent surface waterings, encouraging the roots to delve deep into the ground for moisture, and making them more resilient in the long run

Top-dress with a 3-4 inch deep layer of arborist mulch to make them look better, hold moisture, and insulate the roots.

It's recommended to remove faded flowers to encourage more growth. Trim the first flush of blooms to use inside in darling fresh or dried arrangements! Deadheading enhances their overall appearance and encourages repeat blooms until frost. In spring, before you see new growth, trim away any of last year's stems to clean up the crown. Top off with a fresh layer of mulch or compost!

Keep these perennials growing vigorously by dividing the mounds every 3-4 years.

Lacy Leaves & Showy Blooms!

From brilliant yellow to rosy pinks and spicy reds, Yarrow has a broad range of hues to choose from!

Yellow Blooms

Buttery-soft yellow Sunny Seduction™ Yarrow
Brilliant and bright Moonshine Yarrow
Dwarf and bright yellow Little Moonshine Yarrow
Touchably soft Woolly Yarrow

Pink Blooms

Rosy and flirty Saucy Seduction™ Yarrow
Deep pink Milly Rock™ Rose Yarrow
Pinkish purple Proven Winners® New Vintage™ Violet Yarrow

Red Blooms

Spicy red Paprika Yarrow
Velvety red Strawberry Seduction™ Yarrow

Can’t choose just one? Look into the Summer Pastel Yarrow that has shades of white through to cream, yellow, pink, salmon, mauve and red!

When you have to feed the bees and butterflies, and fill your vases and landscape with vivid and unique flowers from summer until late in the growing season, you won’t go wrong with the incredible flower power that Yarrow has available for you!

Find these and more fast-growing, low-maintenance, and hardy perennials at NatureHills.com!

Happy Planting!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does yarrow come back every year?

Yes, yarrow is a hardy herbaceous perennial that reliably returns each year, typically thriving in USDA zones 3 through 9. The foliage dies back in winter but re-emerges in spring, and plants bloom through summer into fall. To keep your yarrow vigorous and blooming, divide clumps every 2 to 3 years in spring or fall and cut stems back to a few inches above the ground after flowering.

How do you plant yarrow in your garden?

Yarrow thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it adaptable to a wide range of conditions including poor or rocky sites. Plant in spring or fall, spacing plants 1 to 2 feet apart depending on the cultivar, as some spread to form colonies while others grow in a more upright clump. Hardy across a broad range of USDA zones, yarrow requires very little amendment at planting time and actually performs better without rich, fertile soil. Choose your site, dig a hole to match the root ball, backfill with the native soil, water in well, and let this tough perennial establish on its own terms.

Why is my yarrow falling over and how can I fix it?

Yarrow most commonly falls over due to overly rich or moist soil, which causes lush, weak growth that cannot support itself, or because the plant needs dividing after several years of growth. Planting yarrow in lean, well-drained soil in full sun will naturally produce the sturdy, upright stems this plant is built for. If flopping is already an issue, cut the stems back by one-third in late spring to encourage more compact growth, a technique sometimes called the Chelsea Chop. Divide crowded clumps every 3 to 4 years in spring or fall to restore vigor and improve the plant's overall structure.

How does yarrow support bees and other pollinators?

Yarrow produces large, flat-topped flower clusters packed with tiny florets that serve as ideal landing pads for butterflies, bees, and a wide range of beneficial insects. The blooms provide both nectar for butterflies and pollinators as well as pollen for bees, making yarrow one of the most productive plants you can add to a pollinator garden. To maximize impact, plant yarrow in full sun where it will bloom prolifically throughout the second half of the growing season and draw the greatest variety of beneficial visitors.

Do butterflies visit yarrow plants?

Yes, butterflies absolutely love yarrow plants. The flat-topped to domed flower clusters are packed with tiny florets that serve as perfect landing pads for nectar-seeking butterflies and pollinators. Beneficial insects and pollen-eating bees are equally attracted to these blooms, making yarrow one of the most wildlife-friendly perennials you can grow. Plant yarrow in a sunny spot to maximize pollinator activity and consider including it as a centerpiece in any dedicated butterfly garden.

What kinds of pollinators are attracted to yarrow flowers?

Yarrow is a magnet for a wide range of beneficial visitors, including nectar-seeking butterflies, pollen-eating bees, and other beneficial insects. The flat-topped to domed flower clusters are packed with tiny florets that serve as perfect landing pads for pollinators throughout the summer and into the late season. Plant yarrow in a sunny spot in your garden to maximize pollinator activity and consider grouping several plants together for an even greater impact on your local ecosystem.

How do you keep yarrow blooming all season long?

Yarrow naturally blooms from early to midsummer, but deadheading spent flower clusters promptly will encourage a second flush of blooms and extend the season well into fall. Cut stems back by about one-third after the first wave of flowers fades to stimulate new growth and repeat flowering. In warmer zones, this cycle can repeat two to three times in a single season. Keep deadheading consistently throughout summer and give plants a light feeding in early spring to fuel the strongest, longest-lasting bloom performance.

Can you grow yarrow in poor or dry soil?

Yes, yarrow is one of the best perennials you can choose for poor, rocky, or dry soils. It actually prefers disturbed xeric sites and thrives in harsh conditions that would challenge most other plants, including hot humid summers and cold winters. Plant yarrow in a full sun location and avoid overly rich or consistently wet soils, which can cause it to flop or spread aggressively. If your garden has tough, dry spots that other plants struggle in, yarrow is an excellent go-to solution.

How do you divide and spread yarrow in the garden?

Yarrow is best divided in early spring or fall every 3 to 4 years to maintain plant vigor and control spread. Simply dig up the clump, separate it into sections using a sharp spade or garden fork, and replant divisions at the same soil depth, spacing them 12 to 24 inches apart. Water new divisions thoroughly and keep them consistently moist until established, after which yarrow's natural drought tolerance takes over.

Should you deadhead yarrow to encourage more blooms?

Yes, deadheading yarrow is an effective way to encourage repeat blooming throughout the season. Remove spent flower heads by cutting stems back to a lateral bud or basal foliage as soon as the blooms begin to fade, typically in midsummer. This prevents the plant from putting energy into seed production and often triggers a second flush of flowers before the season ends. Keep a clean pair of pruners handy and make deadheading a regular part of your summer garden routine for the best results.

Bees, Butterflies & Brilliance! Check Out Perennial Yarrow!