Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
[ah-KILL-lee-ah mil-lih-FOE-lee-um]

Deciduous Perennial Upright, Spreading in the Asteraceae Family
 
Buy Yarrow
Size Notes Price Availability
#1 gallon Field $16.31
38 Flat Field $147.25

Limited Availability

The classic wild yarrow — tough, drought-tolerant, and beloved by pollinators, with feathery aromatic foliage and flat clusters of white flowers from early summer into fall.

Whether you’re a lazy gardener or a botanical overachiever, Yarrow’s got your back. Plant it once, forget it forever, and enjoy the drama-free beauty.

So named because Achilles allegedly used this plant to speed his wounded soldiers’ healing during the Trojan War, Yarrow has historically been prized for its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and astringent properties both in European folk medicine and indigenous North America.

Achillea is drought-tolerant and deer-resistant, and blooms with lacy, flat caps of flowers for much of the summer.

Pros

  • Yarrows come in a wide range of colors... you can mix them all together and get a pastel wonder.
  • Great cut flowers
  • Unique peppery, sharp smell that isn't unpleasant (except to deer and rabbits).  It's also an insect repellant

Cons

  • Will not tolerate shade
  • Susceptible to Powdery Mildew (Water the soil instead of the foliage and give them space to grow for air flow to help prevent disease.)
Why Like Wild yarrow earns its keep as a workhorse for pollinator and beneficial-insect habitat — it's rated as having special value to native bees, and its flowers draw green lacewings, lady beetles, hoverflies, and other predatory insects that help keep garden pests in check. It's also the primary nectar source for the blue copper butterfly in parts of its range. The plant carries real history: its genus name comes from Achilles, tied to an ancient legend that he used yarrow to treat wounded soldiers, and it has a long documented record of traditional use for wound care and inflammation across European and Native American herbal traditions, dating back at least to the writings of the ancient physician Dioscorides. Ecologically, it's an extremely tough, adaptable plant — tolerating soils from sandy to clay, acidic to alkaline, and growing from sea level to over 11,000 feet in the wild — which makes it a reliable choice for naturalizing in meadows, prairies, and other low-input plantings, and a standard component of conservation and erosion-control seed mixes.
Highlights A tough, adaptable native-naturalized wildflower valued for pollinator support, historic medicinal use dating to antiquity, and reliable performance in meadows, prairies, and low-maintenance plantings.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 36 inches tall. 12 - 36 inches wide.
Growth Rate Fast
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium: Dry to Moist
Zones 3a - 9b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Beneficial Insects, Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Pollinators, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Dry, Extended Bloom Time, Fast Growth Rate, Formal Garden, Fragrant Flowers, Fragrant Foliage, Full Sun, Full Sun, Good for Borders, Good for Butterfly Garden, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Low Maintenance, Medium, Native to North America, Naturalizing, Normal Soil, Perennial, Prairie Garden, Rabbit Resistant, Repels Unwanted Insects, Showy Flowers, Thrillers, Tolerant of Clay Soil, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Tolerant of Poor Soil, Tolerant of Salt, Tolerant of Sandy Soil, Well-Drained Soil, Woodland Garden Full Sun Perennials, Pink or Red Flowering Perennials, Summer Blooming Perennials
Bloom Period June to September
Flower Color White
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Butterfly milkweed, rudbeckia daisies, purple coneflower and native grasses.

Photos of This with...

Star Tickseed, Iris
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/13 - 09/20
2024 : 07/18 - 09/21


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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!