Achillea or Yarrow – Colourful Flowering Border Plants

Achillea or Yarrow is a species of the family Asteraceae, commonly known as the daisy family. It has many small flowers in a cluster at the top of a thin stalk arising from the base plant and extending high towards the sunlight. It is a native, common wild flower but has many species and cultivars to expand on the basic wild variety.

The name Achillea is from Greek mythology as the leaves were used to treat the wounds of Achilles’ Soldiers. It has many other common names that relate to its medicinal use to heal wounds and stop blood flow. 

Achillea or Yarrow, when not in the wild, is a tall flowering plant used in borders of cottage or wildlife gardens. Due to its height and slender form it can compete for space and thrive alongside its neighbours. It best sits mid border and provides clusters of small colourful flowers, tightly packed and resilient. Without neighbouring plants to help it may need support to keep it up and looking its best.

In the natural form the flowers are usually white and clusters as a tightly packed head at the top of the rising stem. There is now a wide variety of colours, from deep reds and pinks through orange, yellow and white. Easy to grow perennial that will keep spreading over time.

The leaves are fern like or feathered, frilly or hairy, and mainly come from the base but also interspaced up the main shoot that holds the flower head at the top. These leaves are often aromatic and edible in small quantities.

Achillea or Yarrows are very tolerant border perennials that can do well in most situations but don’t like heavy, wet soil.  They are native to more temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere.

There are more than 1000 named species, sub-species, or varieties assigned to the genus of Achillea. Two popular species are the Achillea millefolium, common yarrow, and the Achillea ptarmica, sneezewort. Generally, the millefolium has smaller and more tightly packed flower heads, whilst the ptarmica has larger more openly spread flower heads.

Achillea is a good plant to consider for not only its form and long flowering colourful displays, it is very attractive to insects that promote a wider pollination to improve biodiversity, but also has medicinal healing properties that have long been used to treat many different ailments.