Yarrow Seeds (Achillea millefolium)

from $4.00

Botanical name: Achillea millefolium‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall ‍ • Bloom color: White ‍ • Pollinator value: Nectar and pollen for small native bees and beneficial insects ‍ • Host plant: Painted lady

Seed of the straight white species, which has the full genetic variability of the wild plant behind it. Yarrow from seed is the cheapest way to cover real ground, and it establishes readily in poor, dry soil where a transplant would struggle. The flat flower heads feed the small native bees, hoverflies, and beneficial wasps that get overlooked in favor of showier pollinators.

Botanical name: Achillea millefolium‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall ‍ • Bloom color: White ‍ • Pollinator value: Nectar and pollen for small native bees and beneficial insects ‍ • Host plant: Painted lady

Seed of the straight white species, which has the full genetic variability of the wild plant behind it. Yarrow from seed is the cheapest way to cover real ground, and it establishes readily in poor, dry soil where a transplant would struggle. The flat flower heads feed the small native bees, hoverflies, and beneficial wasps that get overlooked in favor of showier pollinators.

Size:

Sowing and Growing Notes

Sow in fall and let winter do the work, or sow in early spring on a firmed, weed-free surface. The seed is very fine and needs light to germinate, so press it in rather than burying it. Keep the surface damp until seedlings are up, then taper off. In Northern Nevada, fall sowing usually beats spring because the seed gets natural moisture and cold before the heat arrives.

  • Water: Low

  • Sun: Full Sun

  • Soil: Well-drained; thrives in lean, rocky soil

  • Mature size: W Not recorded x H 12"-24"

Maintenance

Expect a rosette the first year and flowers the second. Once established, shear spent heads to keep it blooming, and cut it all the way back rather than leaving stems standing if you don't want it to spread.