Achilleas are commonly known as Yarrow. It’s quite a naturally occurring flower in the UK as a white cloudlike flower consisting of a semi sphere of tiny flowers. In the wild it is found in open grass lands.

The name derives from Achilles the invincible Greek soldier, and has been used throughout history to help heal wounds which give them the gruesome name Bloodwort

Achillea has fine foliage with a fern like structure. When the leaves are rubbed, they release a strong fresh green scent.

Standing at 50cm tall they make a brilliant flower for beds. And will continue to produce flowers throughout their flowering season. The achillea flowering time is between June and September. To keep the flowers abundant, trim the dead flowers to encourage new growth. The flowers last for weeks and make great cut flowers. You can even dry them out for autumn displays.

As with all flowers, generating seeds can take a lot of the plants energy but the seeds are easy to propergate if you are looking to expand your collection.

They are a slow growing perennial and will produce a handful of stems in the first year. They are most impressive a few years in when they have formed a clump and produce billowing florets of flowers.

How to grow Achillea flowers

Achilleas flowers tolerate most soil conditions and UK garden environments. However, they much prefer well draining soil, even dry soil. Plant them in full sun for the best results

We supply our Achillea in 9cm pots, all grown in the UK by our friends in a neighbouring nursery. Simply dig a hole just bigger than the pot and place the roots in the whole. Back fill and water.

In autumn cut the stems down to ground level.

Although they are perennial flowers Achillea have a limited life of 5 years or more. So, it is good to attempt propergating quite early on. You can grow from cuttings are sow seeds in Spring.