Yarrow has been valued since ancient times for its ability to stop bleeding, hence its folk name "nosebleed." Today, yarrow is used for herbal uses and an ingredient in many herbal cosmetics. There are between 60 and 100 species of yarrow in the world. Dried yarrow flowers and foliage is used in flower arrangements. Flowers heads are flat and 2 inches to 6 inches across on stems ranging from 2 inches to 6 feet tall. Colors include white, yellow, gold, pink and red. The aromatic foliage is green or gray fern like leaves.
Yarrow is an undemanding plant that thrives even in poor soil but does best in a sunny position with good drainage and light soil. Yarrow grows well in zones 3-8. But be careful as it can be some what invasive, and can be hard to get out of a lawn. Yarrow can be propagated from seed, by root division or from woody cuttings taken in autumn or spring. They can take a year or two to establish them from seed.
Place the plants 1-2 feet apart and divide the clumps when they become crowded. Taller cultivars may need to be staked, especially if grown in very fertile soil.Yarrow adds color to a border. The flat heads add contrast to mounding or spiky plants, and the fern like leaves add a finer texture to broader leave or coarser type plants. Yarrow can be used in fresh arrangements, and makes attractive dried flowers if cut before the sun bleaches them. To dry the flowers, cut them at their peak before they start to fade and hang them head-down in clusters of six to 12 in a dry, airy place out of the sun. Also yarrow adds a fragrant addition to potpourri.
For attracting insects, yarrow is one of the many plants used in flower beds. Not only do they have small flowers but also the leaves of yarrow are used for food by some insects such as caterpillars. So for attracting and holding butterflies put some yarrow in with the other flowers to attract and feed the different growth stages of butterflies.
Other benefits of yarrow included attracting beneficial Syrphid flies (also called flower flies or hover flies) to your garden. Syrphid flies are bright yellow or black and orange flies that might resemble yellow jackets or wasps. They are harmless to humans, but in the larval stage they consume huge quantities of harmful insects, particularly aphids, in the garden. Syrphid flies are important to the garden because they feed early in the season when it may be too cool for other beneficial insects.
Yarrow also acts as an activator to speed the decomposition of compost. Use as much as you like, but you only need one finely chopped leaf per wheelbarrow load of compost material to see results.
