Heirloom & Perennial Ltd

  • Log in
  • Create an account

Achillea Millefolium, Yarrow

£1.49

Yarrow is an excellent plant for growing in lawns, meadows, orchards etc., it is tolerant of repeated close cutting and of being walked on. It works to improve the soil fertility.

A very good companion plant, it improves the health of plants growing nearby and enhances their essential oil content thus making them more resistant to insect predations.

A good ground cover plant, spreading quickly by its roots.

Yarrow has a high reputation and is widely employed in herbal medicine.

The growing plant repels beetles, ants and flies. The plant has been burnt in order to ward off mosquitoes.

A liquid plant feed can be made from the leaves. You fill a container with the leaves and then add some water. Leave it to soak for a week or two and then dilute the rather smelly dark liquid, perhaps 10 - 1 with water though this figure is not crucial. This plant is an essential ingredient of 'Quick Return' herbal compost activator. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost. The fragrant seeds have been used to impart a pleasant smell indoors. An essential oil obtained from the leaves is used medicinally. The leaves contain from 0.6 to 0.85% essential oil. The leaves have been used as a cosmetic cleanser for greasy skin. Yellow and green dyes are obtained from the flowers.

A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c.

Succeeds in most soils and situations but prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position. Shade tolerant. Plants live longer when grown in a poor soil and also do well on lime.

Established plants are very drought tolerant, they can show distress in very severe droughts but usually recover. It remains green after grass has turned brown in a drought. Plants succeed in maritime gardens.

A good bee plant, it is an important nectar source for many insects.

Edible uses:

Leaves - raw or cooked. A rather bitter flavour, they make an acceptable addition to mixed salads and are best used when young. The leaves are also used as a hop-substitute for flavouring and as a preservative for beer etc. Although in general yarrow is a very nutritious and beneficial plant to add to the diet, some caution should be exercised. Extended use of this plant, either medicinally or in the diet, can cause allergic skin rashes or lead to photosensitivity in some people.
An aromatic tea is made from the flowers and leaves. An essential oil from the flowering heads is used as a flavouring for soft drinks.

http://practicalplants.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium

You may also like:

Sale

Unavailable

Sold Out