Achillea millefolium #1 (Common Yarrow)

Common Yarrow is a vigorous perennial that is native across the Northern Hemisphere, thriving in full sun conditions with good drainage. It spreads by rhizomes and self-seeding to form carpets of fragrant, silvery, fernlike foliage. Flat-topped panicles of white flowers emerge above the foliage on single stalks between July and September.

Common Yarrow is an easy to grow plant that tolerates drought once established and can thrive in nutrient-poor, rocky, dry soil as long as it well-drained.  It has a moderate salt tolerance that makes it adaptable to difficult sites such as parking lots, roadsides, and sidewalk “hellstrips.” It will form a thick mat of spreading rhizomes over time and can be divided easily once mature. Deadheading will prolong blooms into fall, and the flowers are excellent for floral arrangements and for drying.

The flowers of Common Yarrow attract a wide variety of insects, as well as the beneficial predators of those insects like Ladybugs and parasitic wasps. The spent inflorescences also add texture to the winter garden and are important habitat for overwintering insects. Be sure to leave some standing until next spring to support this important life-cycle. The foliage is unpalatable to mammals and does not suffer from browsing.

This plant has long been used for medicinal purposes and the genus name Achillea comes from the legend that the Greek hero Achilles used it as a wound dressing. Like Comfrey, the foliage of Common Yarrow can be used as a compost activator and green mulch.

Sources:
Herbaceous Perennial Plants by Allan M. Armitage
Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers by Harry R. Phillips
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Steven Foster and James A. Duke
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Missouri Botanical Garden
Illinois Wildflowers
Grow Native! Salt-Tolerant Native Plants