A few years ago I purchased my first yarrow plant from an old friend who owned an herb farm. I thought her mass planting of yarrow was so pretty, and I knew I wanted to recreate that. I haven’t been as lucky with my yarrow. It was planted in front of my split rail fence, and after a fallen tree took the fence out, it kept getting mowed down in early spring. I have started seeds this year and have plans to transplant some of the old yarrow now that it is coming up. 
Wild yarrow grows in white and creame colors, but cultivated yarrow is now available in yellows, oranges and pinks.
How do you grow yarrow?
- Easy to grow, ALMOST care free.
- Grow in well drained soil.
- Grow in full sun.
- When you first plant yarrow, water well to establish a good root system. After that, you may only want to water during severe drought period.
- Dead head spent blooms to encourage new growth.
- Cut back the whole plant after the first rush of growth and blooms in the spring, to encourage new blooms.
- Thin plants when they become crowded.
- Divide every 3 years in the late fall or early spring to allow air to circulate. One problem with this easy to grow plant is powdery mildew from overcrowding.
- Fertilize in early spring before new growth appears, but generally fertilizing is not necessary.
My yarrow plants are beginning to emerge this spring, so I placed a fence piece behind them to protect them from the mower until I can move them.
Besides being pretty, easy to care for and itattracts butterflies and bees, yarrow also plays another very important role in the garden. Plant near your vegetable gardens to attract beneficial insects to help fight garden pests. Yarrow attracts parasitic wasp that prey on a number of garden pest, and one of those is the squash vine borer that destroys your squash plant when it’s larvae burrows into the stem of your squash plant.
You may also like my post on How to Grow Bee Balm, a crimson flower that pollinators love.
Happy Gardening,
Karen