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Get the iPhone app Scan on the webCommon Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Also called Milfoil, Gordaldo, Nosebleed Plant
About Common Yarrow
Common yarrow is a tough, easy-to-grow perennial with lacy foliage. It bears flat clusters of tiny flowers that bees and hoverflies love. It thrives in sunny spots and poor soil where other plants struggle.
- Type
- Herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 18–36 in
- Spread
- 18–24 in
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low once established
- Soil
- Well-drained, sandy or loamy
- Hardiness
- Hardy to -30 °F
- Flowers
- June to September
- Growth
- Upright, clump-forming and spreading
- Toxicity
- Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses
- Native to
- Europe, Asia, and North America
How to recognise it
- Flat-topped clusters of tiny white or pale pink flowers
- Soft, feathery, fern-like green leaves
- Aromatic scent when leaves are crushed
- Stiff, upright stems spreading by underground runners
Caring for Common Yarrow
Watering
Every week- How often
- Water when the top 2 in of soil dry out
- How much
- About 0.5 in per session
- When
- Morning at soil level
- Tips
- Avoid wet leaves from overhead sprinklers to prevent fungal leaf rot.
Feeding
- How often
- Feed lightly once in spring
- What to use
- General slow-release balanced feed
- When
- Early spring as shoots emerge
- How
- Scatter around the base and scratch into the soil
Pruning
- When
- Late autumn or late winter
- How
- Cut all stems down to ground level or leave seed heads for birds until late winter.
- Tips
- Snip spent flowers during summer to prompt fresh buds.
Jobs it will ask for
- Deadhead fading yarrow blooms Snip off brown flower heads just above the leaves to keep plants tidy.
- Clear fallen leaves around the base Remove damp fallen debris around the crowns so air moves freely.
Through the year
Spring
Mulch the root zone lightly and watch for new ferny shoots.
Summer
Deadhead regularly to encourage more flowers and maintain sturdy stems.
Autumn
Cut back tired flower stems to basal rosettes before winter arrives.
Winter
Rest season; this hardy perennial needs no extra winter protection in mild climates.
What to watch for
- Floppy, weak stems
- Grow in full sun and stop feeding rich fertilisers.
- Powdery mildew on leaves
- Thin clumps to boost airflow and water roots directly rather than leaves.
Reference photos
Compare what's in your garden with confirmed photos of Common Yarrow.
Photos from iNaturalist contributors.
Written by Garden Rescue from photo identifications, in US units. Local advice from your extension service or garden centre beats a general guide.