Yarrow is a fantastic addition to the garden that requires little maintenance. These are 10 gorgeous and cheery yarrow species that you may add to your flower garden or cottage this season.
Growing yarrow in the garden is a very quaint and nostalgic idea. The fern-like foliage gives garden beds a lot of airy texture, and I adore the vintage appearance of those umbels of tiny, nicely shaped flowers. Yew belongs to the Asteraceae family and is palatable, pollinator-friendly, and relatively pest- and disease-resistant.
Though it comes in a variety of hues, yarrow is typically found in white and yellow tones. It is a visually appealing, low-maintenance plant that almost grows itself. It spreads quickly and produces broad swathes of delicate blooms and fluffy foliage. Its beauty in the garden is matched with its extended vase life, making it a great cut flower.
Yarrow is an extremely adaptable plant that is simple to divide and move. It prefers good drainage, therefore it grows quite well in containers as well. It is a very drought-resistant potted plant that requires little maintenance. This wildflower thrives in an urban environment because it can withstand pollutants effectively.
10 Best Yarrow Varieties For Your Garden
These are 10 of my favorite yarrow kinds:
10. Firefly Diamond
This yarrow type has a very similar feel and serves a similar purpose in the garden, so if you enjoy Queen Anne’s Lace and Ammi, you’ll love this one too. But one excellent feature is that it blooms for a longer period of time. “Firefly Diamond” has blue-green, feathery foliage that is topped off by an abundance of creamy white flower umbels.
This variety pairs well with flowers of any color, making it a great choice for a filler flower. The cream-colored centers of the blooms give the umbels a lace-like look. This is a tall, erect cultivar that makes excellent cutting with its strong, long stems.
09. Appleblossom
The long-blooming variation “Appleblossom” and a few other cultivars have a similar habit of changing color. The plant produces fairly huge and complete umbels of blooms that begin pink and fade to white in multiple colors that appear at the same time. This cultivar can flower for up to five months, from early summer to early fall, if you deadhead it regularly.
This is a smaller type that looks great in a container or border. Yarrow is not only a lovely cut flower, but it dries quickly and works well in dry arrangements.
08. Firefly Peach Sky
The tall, billowy yarrow known as “Firefly Peach Sky” is stunning and ideal for a meadow garden setting. Delicate flower umbels gently sway on the long stems as a breeze blows through them. Another lovely aspect of this yarrow’s beauty is the blossoms’ distinctive peachy orange hue, which fades a little with age.
When combined with tall grasses or other flowering plants with larger leaves, the distinctive fern-like foliage creates a truly amazing effect. Cut ‘Firefly Peach Sky’ back hard after it blooms for the first time to promote branching and plant density. Don’t ever feel bad about pruning yarrow to include in a floral arrangement as it encourages the plant to produce more flowers.
07. Desert Eve Terracotta
I’m all in favor of the moment that terracotta is experiencing. This earthy and calming tone of rich, velvety clay orange seems to suit with everything! The “Desert Eve Terracotta” yarrow boasts a stunning hue and large blooms. Pale orange blossoms with accents of yellow and deep rust are seen. This more petite version would look quite elegant in a terracotta pot as part of a monochromatic combo.
This yarrow has versatility due to its intermediate height. It looks fantastic as a mid-ground plant in a smaller footprint or as a border to hold larger plants. This is a need if you are creating a meadow garden.
Surrounded by other wildflowers, the umbels add something truly remarkable in their delicate but bright tone of orange.
06. Paprika
During the growing season, the medium-sized yarrow variety ‘Paprika’ can grow up to two feet tall. The blooms open up with cores of yellow and a rich shade of scarlet. These blooms lose their color, nevertheless, unlike “Red Velvet.” Rather, as they age, they fade to a pale pink and finally to ivory. This is a very striking kind to have in the garden because of the layers of color that arise.
Once established, yarrow plants can withstand drought, but over watering will cause floppy stems and lanky growth. In the garden, plant your yarrow in a spot that drains really well. This plant prefers coarse soil that is either rocky or slightly sandy. Full sun will bring out the vibrant hues in “Paprika.”
05. Sassy Summer Sunset
‘Sassy Summer Sunset’ is a taller and more stately species of yarrow that can reach up to three feet in height and produces exceptionally enormous flower umbels. Each flower has two colors: the centers are yellow and the petals are deep orange and yellow. The umbels seem to shine golden from a distance.
Though delicate, the blue-green foliage is supported by strong, robust stems. Sassy Summer Sunset is a great mass planting that works well as a focal point in a cottage garden. This is an excellent textural and dimensional feature because of the layers of incandescent flower umbels.
04. New Vintage Violet
This extra-long blooming yarrow type, “New Vintage Violet,” is compact, has excellent heat tolerance, and can bloom into the fall. The striking pinkish-purple flowers have creamy centers and hold their vibrant color for an extended duration. This plant is ideal for a border or container garden because to its tiny size.
This delicious yarrow will draw a lot of pollinators to your yard. The fern-like, grey-green foliage is airy and light, making it undesirable to rabbits and deer.
03. Sassy Summer Taffy
‘Sassy Summer Taffy’ is a mid-sized plant with extremely huge umbels on robust and sturdy stems that is ideal for sprucing up borders and rock gardens. Deep salmon in color at first, the blossoms eventually lighten to pink. As a result, the same plant or even the same stem appears to have a vast variety of hues. This lovely pink type of yarrow is sure to attract butterflies.
To ensure that your “Sassy Summer Taffy” blooms all summer long, de-seed it.
02. Coronation Gold
The United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation inspired the name of this award-winning variety. “Coronation Gold” tolerates heat and dry conditions well and requires very little care. The garden’s dense, up to three-foot-tall golden flower umbels are a great source of food for nearby pollinators.
The recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit is Coronation Gold. This plant can be severely neglected and yet maintain its appealing appearance and abundant blooms. As soon as you plant this yarrow in a sunny area with soil that drains properly, watch the magic happen. A bloom worthy of a queen, this one!
01. Red Velvet
I love yarrows, and I’ll start the list with some varieties that I grow in my own garden. I adore watching this plant come into bloom in the spring, with its nostalgic and jaunty velvety crimson umbels of blooms. The vivid red flowers of ‘Red Velvet’ have a characteristic golden center and are tightly packed and abundant. In contrast to certain cultivars, this crimson hue endures throughout time, and the blooms are long-lasting.
The lovely and fragrant leaves of “Red Velvet” add textural appeal to a cut flower arrangement. It is also almost impervious to disease. If you give your yarrow the right care, it will bloom for months after it starts in the spring.
Final Thoughts
Yarrow is a very resilient and useful plant. It has a special place in the pollinator garden as well, but it also looks fantastic in prairie gardens, meadows, and cottages. These lovely perennials are excellent for adding color to empty spaces because they spread by rhizomes and colonize quickly. They withstand heat and drought well and form beautiful dried flowers and cut flowers.
Also Read: 10 Best Flowers Ideas To Grow In May
