Achillea millefolium Alabaster

The 'Alabaster' yarrow is a vigorous and highly floriferous perennial prized for its ever-changing colourful flowering. It forms a bushy clump of aromatic, grey-green leaves, deeply cut to give them a feathery appearance. From late June, numerous umbels of light lemon yellow flowers turning creamy white emerge from the foliage and continue throughout the summer. Yarrow prefers moist and rich soil but can tolerate all well-drained soils. It is exceptionally heat resistant and remains impeccable in all conditions. Exuberant and undemanding, this cottage garden favourite adds a nostalgic charm to informal borders. It is a perennial plant par excellence, resistant and easy to grow in all areas.

Yarrow is a stoloniferous perennial plant native to Europe and Asia Minor, belonging to the Asteraceae family. 'Alabaster' develops a cluster of feathery, matt leaves from spring, reaching a height of 60 cm when in flower. It spreads over 60 cm. The foliage is semi-evergreen, downy, aromatic, and deeply cut into fine strips. The flower head is a slightly rounded, flattened corymb composed of numerous small flower heads. By regularly removing the faded flower heads, the repeat flowering extends from June to September. It tolerates limestone soils, dry soils in summer, and partial shade.

Perennial, hardy, and undemanding, 'Alabaster' yarrow integrates well into a dry meadow with pennisetum, blue asters and lavender, and salmon pink echinaceas. Easy to grow and drought-tolerant, consider using it to cover the base of bushes or to edge a sunny border. In a vibrant mixed border, consider planting it with silver-leaved shrubs like wormwoods, as well as orange, yellow, and cream blooms punctuated with darker accents like Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'. Pair it with plants with slender silhouettes such as red hot pokers, verbena bonariensis, rusty foxgloves, and Phygelius 'African Queen' to enhance the horizontality of its umbels.

This plant has medicinal properties. It can stop bleeding, and its leaves and flowers have healing, stimulating, and fever-reducing effects.