All About Yarrow: How to Plant and Use It

Some plants just have a lot more to them than we realize. Lots of “weeds” are extraordinarily useful and valuable in the right hands. And, it doesn’t always require a ridiculous amount of knowledge to get huge benefits from a plant. Meadows and forests are full of medicinal and edible wild plants.

And, of course, plants don’t just have to benefit people. It’s great to have for wildlife such as pollinators. Certain plants can also be great for a change in color and shape. They can fill in empty spaces or provide shade. They might smell great or withstand droughts to keep the ground from being bare.

One of the phenomenal wild plants that hit so many of the right marks is yarrow. It’s an easy plant to grow—a “weed”—and it has tons of useful elements, from medicinal uses to edible qualities to pretty flowers. So, of course, you want to know more about yarrow!

Source: Epic Gardening/YouTube

The Basics Stats

Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is native to the United States and also found in Europe and Asia. Its genus name, Achillea, is derived from the Greek character Achilles, and it was used to treat soldiers’ wounds in the battle of Troy.

Yarrow reaches about three feet tall and spreads readily when established. It’s a member of the aster family, beloved for umbrellas of beautiful little blooms. Cultivated varieties can have white, pink, red, yellow, or gold flowers.  Yarrow blooms for several months over the summer.

It’s a hardy perennial with aromatic qualities and feathery leaves. It is drought-tolerant but doesn’t like overly wet conditions. Yarrow grows in the clump, and flowers best in sunny spots though it will grow in partial shade.

Planting Yarrow

Yarrow grows coast to coast in the United States. It can be found in the mountains and fields and especially in wildflower meadows. It transplants agreeably and multiplies readily, so it can be an easy plant to acquire for free.

From seed, it is best planted in the springtime, early enough for it to get cold and wet for a while before it’s time to pop. They take about 2 weeks to germinate. If it’s too warm, they can be sown indoors in wet sand and refrigerated for a month before planting out.

Generally, yarrow seedlings should be spaced about a foot apart. They will grow together soon enough, and this leaves them adequate areas to develop. Yarrow performs best in a sunny spot and tends to get tall, flimsy stems in the shade. It doesn’t like wet feet.

Source: Mountain Rose Herbs/YouTube

Uses for Yarrow

Yarrow may be called a weed by unknowing gardeners, but it’s a great weed to have around. It is useful in several ways.

1. Soil conditioning: Yarrow grows well in depleted soil, and it has deep roots that help to break up compacted areas. It can be cut in the fall and left to rot to help add nutrients.
2. Edible: Yarrow is edible, and it has a licorice-like anise flavor. Its young flowers can be used to make salads and other dishes more exciting. Mixed with a little lemon or lemon balm, the flowers and leaves also make a nice herbal iced tea.
3. Natural Insect Repellent: Yarrow, and some other plants from the Aster family, are used as insect repellents. The plants can be rubbed on exposed areas of skin. Many troublesome insects don’t like the smell of it.
4. Medicine: It has several medicinal uses, but its primary use is as a styptic. That’s something used to stop bleeding. For centuries, it was common that soldiers would carry yarrow. It can be used for lots of skin irritations. Though many mammals steer clear of yarrow when feeding, they are known to eat instinctively when injured.
5. Pollinator Plant: Bees and butterflies love yarrow, so it’s great to have it near a veggie patch or in an orchard. It also attracts certain wasps (braconid) that lay their eggs on caterpillars that tend to eat up our garden greens.

Learning to identify yarrow to forage in the wild, or growing it in the garden, is hugely rewarding and lots of fun. It’s the type of plant that people should be going out of their way to cultivate and use.

Related Content:

• Foraging for Clover, Dead Nettle, Yarrow, and Pineapple Weed
• How to Grow Milkweed and Why You Should
• 5 Tips for Starting a Wildflower Garden
• 10 Low-Water (Edible) Plants to Fill Your Garden With
• 8 Plants That Are Good for Treating Bumps, Bruises and Cuts

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