Yarrow Seeds (Achillea millefolium)

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a tough native perennial of grassland, road verges and hedgerows, growing 30 to 45cm tall. It has soft, finely divided, feathery leaves that are strongly aromatic when crushed, and flat-topped heads of many small white flowers, occasionally tinged pink, from June to October. It is one of the longest-flowering plants of British meadows and pastures.

The open, flat flower heads are easy landing places for hoverflies, solitary bees, honeybees and small butterflies, and they keep producing well into autumn when much else has finished. Yarrow is a long-lived perennial that spreads by creeping roots to form drought-resistant mats, tolerates cutting and grazing and helps hold a sward together on poor ground. Its leaves have a long history in herbal medicine for wounds.

It grows on almost any well-drained soil in full sun, from chalk to sand to clay, and copes well with drought and with thin, poor ground. It suits a garden meadow, a flower-rich lawn, a dry verge, a pasture or an orchard floor. Avoid waterlogged sites and deep shade. Because it spreads by roots, it is best where a robust ground-holding plant is welcome.

Sow in autumn or spring onto bare or scarified ground, surface-sown and firmed in without covering. It germinates easily and may flower in its first summer, with fuller flowering from the second. Cut or graze in late summer or autumn after seed has been shed, removing the cuttings, and it will persist indefinitely. Combine with our 100% wildflower mixes or single species that share the same sunny, well-drained conditions.