June Perennial of the Month-Yarrow
Yarrow was one of the first perennials I ever tried. A friend gave me a healthy clump of Achillea millefolium, and I gave it a place of honor in my white garden-in-the-making. It filled in well and quickly, teaching me about its aggressive nature despite being a native. But just when it reached the point where I needed to step in and cull it out some, we got chickens.
Although yarrow is deemed deer-proof, chickens ate it down to NOTHING, and that was the end of that problem. Years later, I tried the pink form, which also did well until the next batch of chickens discovered how tasty it was. Now, I keep small cages over the clumps to save them from the same fate, but the chickens do their part by keeping it in check if any stems dare escape the barrier.
Yarrow makes an excellent pollinator plant, with its flat flower heads (called a corymb) that make nice “landing pads” for butterflies and bees. The flat shape makes it a great companion plant to other rounded or vertically shaped flowers in the perennial border.
Usually growing 1-2′, it will spread into nice-sized masses if it’s happy. Unlike many fussy perennials, poor soil and neglect seem to make yarrow happy. Full sun is a must, as is well-drained soils. In fact, the better your soil, the leggier and worse it looks.
Besides the native, there are tons of cultivars in shades of pink, red, cream, and the most popular, yellow.
The foliage is beautiful and fern-like. Dead-heading is always recommended for perennials, but I never miss dead-heading the yarrow if only to enjoy that ferny foliage.
What I love about this plant;
-Native or many “nativars” are available.
-Deer resistant.
-Great pollinator plant.
-Pairs well with more upright or rounded forms in perennial borders.
-Good cut or dried flower.
-Nice spicy scent.
What’s not so great;
-Can spread aggressively by seed and rhizomes.
-Will flop or lean in too much shade, after a rainstorm, or if planted in rich soils.
-Stem rot, powdery mildew, and rust can be issues.
-Not chicken resistant!
-Comments or questions? Email Garden-Lou at gardenloustl@gmail.com
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com-2025, All rights reserved.
