Achillea filipendulina
Yellow yarrow
Common names: Fern-leaf yarrow, Golden yarrow, Gold yarrow
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jun–Aug
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- Low
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This description was machine-translated.
Description
Achillea filipendulina, known in German as Goldgarbe, comes from steppes and dry slopes between the Caucasus and Central Asia and is one of the tall yarrows suited to gardens. A rosette of finely feathered, grey-green leaves gives off a strong scent when touched. Stiff, upright stems grow up to 120 cm tall. From June, they bear flat flower heads up to 15 cm wide, made up of many small bright golden-yellow florets, which bloom into August. Butterflies, hoverflies and bees visit them readily. In the garden, it suits sunny perennial beds, gravel beds and prairie-style plantings, placed behind lower perennials or alongside grasses. The flowers last a long time, making it a popular cut and dried flower. Over the years it forms broader clumps and tolerates drought well.
Care instructions
Plant yellow yarrow in spring or September in a full-sun spot with free-draining soil, leaving 50 cm between neighbouring plants. In the first year, water during prolonged dry spells; after that it manages without additional water. No fertiliser is needed, as it makes the shoots soft. Support tall plants in May with a perennial support frame, otherwise they may flop over in rain. Cut back spent flowers to the next side shoot to encourage longer flowering, and shorten the stems in late winter. For dried bouquets, cut the flower heads when fully open and hang them upside down in a airy, shaded place. Yellow yarrow is too tall and top-heavy for a balcony container. Divide the clump every three to four years, otherwise the centre becomes sparse.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–May
FloweringJun–Aug
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 10 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, sandy, lean, dry
Fernleaf yarrow grows best in free-draining, rather poor, dry to fresh soil in full sun. Sandy loam or loamy sand is ideal; whether the soil is lime-rich or neutral hardly matters. On rich, damp soil it becomes soft, flops over in rain and flowers less well. Loosen heavy soils with sand or grit before planting, as it does not tolerate wet feet in winter.
Feeding
Light feeder
Fernleaf yarrow needs no fertiliser. It is adapted to nutrient-poor steppe soils, and too much food makes the tall shoots soft, so that they flop over. Only on very poor sandy soil may you give a thin layer of compost in spring.
Overwintering
Fernleaf yarrow is fully hardy and survives frost down to about minus 30 degrees without protection. Only wet in winter is harmful, which is why it belongs in free-draining soil. You can leave the stems standing over winter; they look lovely with hoar frost. In February or March, cut them off just above the leaf rosettes.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- From seed
The simplest propagation is division: in March or September, lift the clump, divide it into hand-sized pieces with roots and shoots and replant them straight away. This rejuvenates the plant every three to four years. Sowing is also possible: from March, sow onto seed compost, press the fine seeds down only lightly and keep them bright and evenly moist at about 18 degrees. They germinate after two to three weeks, and flowering often only comes in the second year. Dividing is safer, because offspring grown from seed do not always resemble the mother plant.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Yellow yarrow yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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