perennial

Wooly Yarrow

Achillea tomentosa

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Wooly Yarrow (Achillea tomentosa) at Lurvey Garden Center

Wooly Yarrow in bloom

Wooly Yarrow in bloom

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  12 inches

Spread:  12 inches

Sunlight:  full sun 

Hardiness Zone:  3

Description:

Vivid yellow heads on low dense growth characterizes this amazing variety; excellent for xeriscaping and hot, sunny, dry locations in the garden; performs well on hot sites

Ornamental Features

Wooly Yarrow features showy yellow flat-top flowers at the ends of the stems from early to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive tomentose ferny leaves remain olive green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Wooly Yarrow is an herbaceous perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

  • Spreading
  • Self-Seeding

Wooly Yarrow is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • Border Edging
  • General Garden Use
  • Groundcover
  • Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Wooly Yarrow will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to dry locations, and dislikes excessive moisture. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Wooly Yarrow is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Edging  Garden  Groundcover  Naturalizing  Container 
Applications
Flowers  Foliage Color  Texture  Attracts Wildlife 
Ornamental Features