Yarrow Seeds (Achillea millefolium)

A soft, finely textured perennial wildflower with flat-topped clusters of creamy white flowers and feathery foliage. It’s well loved for its resilience, long flowering season, and ability to quietly support both pollinators and soil health in wildflower meadows and naturalistic borders.

Key Features:

• Highly attractive to bees, hoverflies and many other pollinators
• Hardy, drought-tolerant perennial that thrives in poor soils
• Feathery foliage adds texture to a meadow
• Approx. 6000 seeds per 1g

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a familiar sight in wildflower-rich landscapes, forming dense mats of finely divided, fern-like leaves that stay low and lush even in dry conditions. In summer, strong upright stems rise to carry flattened clusters of small, creamy white flowers, which provide a long-lasting source of nectar for a wide range of pollinators.

It has a compact but quietly spreading habit, growing to around 40–60 cm in height when in flower. The foliage alone is decorative, soft to the touch, aromatic when brushed against, and often tinged with silver-green hues. This low-growing base makes Yarrow a useful companion in wildflower mixes, where it fills gaps, suppresses weeds, and supports soil structure without crowding more delicate species.

Yarrow is a true perennial, returning year after year and gently increasing in clump size. It tolerates dry, exposed sites and thrives in poor to moderately fertile soils. While it can hold its own in meadow settings, it’s also an excellent addition to garden borders, rockeries, or even green roofs and low-mow lawns.

Yarrow can be sown in either spring (March to May) or autumn (August to October). Autumn sowing allows roots to establish over winter, but both timings are effective depending on your site.

Start by preparing a clean, well-raked seedbed with a fine tilth. Scatter the seeds thinly and press them into the surface, Yarrow needs light to germinate, so avoid burying the seeds too deeply.

Seedlings are small and delicate at first but establish steadily, forming feathery rosettes of foliage in the first season. Flowering typically begins from the second year, though early spring sowings may flower lightly in their first summer.

Once established, Yarrow is extremely low maintenance. It rarely needs feeding, resists drought well, and benefits from an annual cut after flowering. In managed meadow areas, cutting and removing the spent growth in late summer or autumn will help keep the balance right and promote healthy regrowth the following spring.

For garden applications direct sow at 1g/m2. For overseeding existing meadow planting or for new sowings on larger areas sow at a maximum of 2g/m2.

Yarrow is a brilliant all-rounder for wildflower meadows, road verges, green roofs, wildlife gardens and low-nutrient lawns. It’s particularly valuable to pollinators, bees, beetles, hoverflies and butterflies all visit its wide, open flower heads. Its low-growing foliage also provides shelter for invertebrates, and its tough root system helps to stabilise soil on exposed or dry sites.

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Garden lawn seed, wildflower seeds, and wildflower seed mixtures are typically dispatched within 1 to 3 working days.

Products from our agricultural, landscaping, and equine ranges may be shipped separately as they are mixed to order.

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Q1: Will Yarrow take over in a meadow mix?

A: Yarrow is naturally competitive, but it’s generally well-behaved in diverse meadow mixes. In low-cut lawns or thin soils, it may spread more readily. Annual cutting helps maintain balance.

Q2: Can it be used in lawns?

A: Yes, Yarrow is one of the few wildflowers that copes well with occasional mowing. It can be a good option for species-rich lawns or grass paths.

Q3: Is it evergreen?

A: In milder winters, Yarrow often holds on to its foliage through the colder months, providing low-level cover and colour in otherwise dormant areas.

Q4: Does it need full sun?

A: Yarrow prefers full sun but will tolerate light shade. It performs best in open, well-drained conditions with plenty of sunlight.