How to Grow Yarrow

I was teaching a soap making class at my friend Ivana’s herb farm, Lavender and Rust, when I was taken back by her mass plantings of Yarrow. I knew I had to buy some of the plants she had for purchase, and learn how to grow yarrow.

Both the white and pink yarrow were planted in multiple areas around the farm. and I knew I had to have both. I purchased a couple of pots of the white, and Ivana was so nice to give me several plants she had pulled up to thin them out, and replant in another area.

Since I had never grown yarrow in the garden, I asked for a few tips.

How do your grow yarrow?

Easy to grow, ALMOST care free.
Grow in well drained soil.
Grow in full sun, partial sun will make the plants “leggy”
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 with overcrowding.
Fertilize in early spring before new growth appears, but generally fertilizing is not necessary.

I noticed her’s were planted in full sun, and flourishing. My yard gets a lot of sun, so I knew I would find the perfect place for them. I would also need a place where they would be allowed to grow tall and take up a large space since they are quick spreading, and some people would say invasive. I planted them next to my split rail fence. I added a little fertilizer and compost to the hole and watered well after planting. We did have a terrible heat wave, so I watered every other day until, we had a few days of daily rain. After a few days the blooms began to turn brown.