Yarrow Summer Pastels F2 - Achillea millefolium

Achillea millefolium 'Summer Pastels' F2 is a wonderful hybrid yarrow that truly captures the warmth of summer in its soft-coloured bouquets. This vigorous perennial forms tall clumps of light, very feathery and aromatic grey-green leaves topped with small, flat flowerheads. Its long-lasting blooms liven up the garden all summer-long, staying around until autumn to greet the starry blue asters. Naturally undemanding and generous, it brings an old-fashioned charm to herbaceous borders and cottage gardens.

Achillea millefolium or Yarrow belongs to the large Asteraceae family. It is a rhizomatous perennial native to Europe and Asia Minor where it is commonly found growing in meadows and along roadsides. 'Summer Pastels' grows to 75 cm tall and over 30 cm wide. From June to October, the long, ridged, woolly stems are topped with flat, slightly rounded flower clusters (corymbs) that measure about 7 cm in diameter. Each tiny flowerhead is made up of yellow, tubular central disc florets and outer ray florets in various shades of yellow, pink, cream, ivory, orange, lilac etc. The flower clusters produce achene-like fruits called cypselae. The soft and feathery, silvery green bipinnate leaves are deciduous to semi-evergreen. They are intensely aromatic, even when dried.

'Summer Pastels' F2 is an easy to grow, drought-tolerant plant that is perfect for rock gardens, growing along a retaining wall, in a herbaceous border or up a steep bank to help counter erosion. It makes an attractive, remarkably tough ground cover that is useful under trees or in large areas of the garden where little else grows! If foot traffic is light, it can also be sown instead of grass for a low-maintenance lawn.