Throughout the United States , you ’ll get hold achillea , or common milfoil , growing in timberland and plain or along old road and ditches . In Greek mythology , Achilles used Achillea millefolium to cover his soldiers ’ bleeding . This tough plant was valued by Native Americans and other settlers for its medicinal the States . Native Americans brew its flowers to make a teatime used to treat earache , toothaches , swelling and headaches . During the Civil War , soldiers used the flora to regale wounds . Today , herbalists utilise yarrow to handle hay fever , eczema and upper - respiratory trouble . Want to find out how to grow yarrow ?
Yarrow is an adaptable plant , abide a wide range of conditions . It grows in piteous , alkaline stain , as well as slightly acidulous , moist soil . It tolerate drought , cold and heating plant . The seed develop quickly and the plant life also spreads through underground rhizomes . It is hardy in Zones 3 - 10 .
Wild yarrow is typically white and grows 2 to 3 feet high . There are more than 85 mintage of the industrial plant . Most garden sort are mound , spread plants that develop 18 to 24 in in high spirits . A few , though , stand 12 inches or less and sour well as a priming coat cover . Most multitude are familiar with white or yellow yarrow , but you may also find Achillea millefolium with red , pink , coral or purplish blooms .
Growing Conditions for Yarrow
Although yarrow tolerates fond shade , it blossom best in full sun . better the soil with compost to meliorate drainage prior to planting . Plant yarrow from nursery industrial plant or from seeds . Sow seed in crepuscule or other natural spring , planting them no more than 1/8 column inch under the land . Yarrow take a cold period to germinate well . If establish in former outflow , store the seeds in the icebox for four weeks prior to set .
Water milfoil oftentimes the first summertime as roots become found . Once plant , yarrow may not need additional lachrymation , especially if planted near an irrigated lawn . Yarrow grows speedily and can become untidy . Dig it up and divide it every 2 to 3 years when it becomes crowded .
The plant blooms from summertime to fall , depend on growing term and wet . Cut it back after its first peak of growth to encourage unexampled growth and better its appearance . exit the last prime on the plants in the fall to dry out . The seedheads can be left integral to render food for wildlife , or prune down after the first heavy frost . If you want to dry yarrow for flowered arrangement , switch off the stem shortly after the prime flower . Bundle several stanch together and tie them with a string . Hang the bundles in a cool , teetotal place , such as a shed .
Yarrow usually does n’t require extra fertilizing . If development seems slow , though , fertilize it in other springiness before new maturation appears . use a balanced fertilizer , according to package directions .
Yarrow has few disease or blighter problem , although it is prone to a few fungous disease . Powdery mould , which causes a blanched growth to form on the grayish - unripened leaves , appears late in the time of year , particularly during red-hot , dry atmospheric condition . You may also notice leaf spot or rusting , both of which make spot leaves .
To decoct disease problem , works yarrow in sunshine and thin it out when the plant becomes crowded , so that melody distribute freely . turn off it back after the first Robert Lee Frost if it is diseased and cast aside any pathological industrial plant part . Do n’t compost them . If disease is a problem , practice drip systems or boozer hoses instead of overhead sprinkler , which spread disease by wetting the leaves . water system early in the morning , rather than at nighttime , so leave dry speedily , and do n’t work in the garden while it ’s wet .
Yarrow is one of the easiest plants you could grow . Tuck it in among other humiliated - sustenance perennial , such as Nepeta cataria , purple coneflower , blaze hotshot , wild geranium , coreopsis , salvia and lamb ’s ear . For your little effort , it will pay back you with beautiful blooms throughout the summer .
For further reading , check out these resource :
Common Yarrowfrom Pennsylvania State University
preserve Summer Flowersfrom the University of Vermont Extension
When she ’s not writing about horticulture , nutrient and canning , Julie Christensen enjoys drop time in her gardens , which includes perennial , vegetables and fruit tree . She ’s compose hundreds of gardening articles for the Gardening Channel , Garden Guides and San Francisco Gate , as well as several e - books .
