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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a common flowering plant in the daisy family. The wild type produces lovely white flowers all summer long and there are many ornamental cultivars that come in a variety of colors from pink to yellow.
Native to almost the entire temperate northern hemisphere, yarrow can be found in North America, Europe and Asia. Due to its abundance and wide range it has a long history being used by humans as a food, bittering agent and, most commonly, as a medicine.
So, with all of that said, why should you add yarrow to your container garden this year?
- If herbal medicine is your jam, you will have an abundance of pesticide free yarrow at your fingertips.
- It makes great additions to bouquets.
- It attracts beneficial insects such as lacewings, ladybugs and lots of pollinators.
- More greens for your soups and frittatas are literally never a bad thing.
- You can use the leaves instead of hops to brew gruit (old-school beer).
- It is low maintenance.
- It is probably a native plant to your region!
From my experience the reasons not to grow yarrow are much fewer: you don’t like the look of the flowers or you don’t have the space.
How to Grow Yarrow in Containers:
- Sun: Yarrow thrives in full sun. I use it as a ground cover and to shade the roots of my peppers.
- Moisture: This plant prefers moderate moisture. I water mine a couple times a week. It will dramatically wilt when it needs a drink but will pop right up after you’ve watered it.
- Soil: Yarrow can grow in a variety of well-draining soils. I grow mine in a standard potting mix without any issues.
- Container Size: I recommend a 10-inch container to start with for yarrow. The first year you have it, it will stay relatively small, but each spring thereafter it will spread out just a little bit more via rhizomes.
- Planting/Propagating: This plant is most easily started via seed or division. The seeds germinate readily and that is how I started my first plants. Since then, I have been able to use my garden spade to divide the plant and start new yarrow colonies in additional planters.
- Yearly Maintenance: This herb is very self sufficient and doesn’t need any annual maintenance.
- Winterizing: This plant does not need any special winterization. If you would like you can cut the dead flower stalks for aesthetic purposes.
- Pruning/Harvesting: The most common part of the plant to harvest are the flowers and leaves. You can use scissors to easily separate some leaves or flowers from the plants. Yarrow is incredibly hardy so you can be more aggressive when harvesting it but I always recommend harvesting no more than 30% of a plant at any given time.
- Preserving: Yarrow can be hang dried or dried in a dehydrator.
- Pests & Diseases: Yarrow is susceptible to root rot, powdery mildew and some bugs in the Midwest. I have not had any problems with powdery mildew on my yarrow even when it is found on a neighboring plant (I’m looking at you red clover)
Using Yarrow
Yarrow is said to have many medicinal properties including but not limited to:
- stop bleeding
- break fevers
- lower blood pressure
- mild diuretic and urinary antiseptic
- promote menstruation (do not use yarrow internally when pregnant!)
- bitter tonic
To use it, one must simply harvest the leaves and flowers. The aerial parts of the plant can be used both fresh or dried to make tea, tinctures, poultices, salves, first-aid powders, cooked greens and alcoholic beverages.
I keep yarrow flowers in my herbal apothecary as a tea. The leaves can also be used, but I think they have a slightly more bitter flavor. For a delicious cold and flu drink steep 1/3 tsp yarrow flowers, 1/3 tsp peppermint leaves and 1/3 tsp of elderflower in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes.
To use yarrow as a first aid powder your should first dry the leaves and grind them up. When needed, you can apply a small amount of the powder to your open wound (or even a nosebleed) to quickly staunch the bleeding.
In addition to using yarrow as medicine, I occasionally add yarrow leaves to my morning omelettes. I love adding a variety of greens to my omelettes throughout the week because different greens have different nutrient profiles which allows me to stay healthy without taking a daily multivitamin.
I hope you enjoyed this article and that you will consider adding yarrow to your container garden this year!
Additional Resources:
Online Resources:
- U.S. Forest Service – Common Yarrow
- United States Department of Agriculture – Common Yarrow
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