Achillea millefolium Lachsschönheit

The 'Lachsschönheit' Yarrow is a vigorous perennial with numerous flat umbels of flowers in a refined range of coral pink, salmon, and cream yellow, blooming tirelessly from July to September. This easy-to-grow variety is suitable for both amateur and beginner dry gardeners. It forms an upright clump with aromatic, grey-green, deeply cut leaves, giving it an exceptionally light and feathery silhouette. The Yarrow should be planted in the sun and well-drained soil. It is an ideal perennial for borders, as it is resistant to heat and summer drought. With its ground-covering habit, it is also suitable as a ground cover, eventually forming beautiful flower carpets as it spreads with its rhizomes.

The Yarrow is a stoloniferous perennial plant native to Europe and Asia Minor, belonging to the Asteraceae family. Being nectar-rich, it attracts pollinators and supports wildlife development. The 'Lachsschönheit' variety develops a characteristic clump of fern-like leaves from spring, reaching a height of 70 cm with a spread of 60 cm during flowering. The stem is channelled and hairy, and the foliage, aromatic, is finely dissected into strips. The flower head is a slightly rounded, flat corymb borne well above the foliage, composed of numerous small flower heads. When dried, the flowers remain decorative long after summer and can also be dried outdoors and in the shade for creating dried bouquets. By regularly removing faded flower heads, the flowering period is very prolonged. It prefers moist, light, and rich soils but tolerates limestone soils, dry summer soils, and less sunny exposures.

As a perennial, hardy, and undemanding plant, the 'Lachsschönheit' Yarrow fits well in a dry meadow with golden and rosy grasses such as Muhlenbergia capillaris or Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose', as well as spike-like lavenders. Easy to grow and drought-tolerant, consider using it to dress the base of bushes or border a sunny bed. In a mixed border, the purple foliage of Sedum 'Purple Emperor', the golden strands of Stipa tenuifolia, and the pink and blue flowers of asters complement its light colours well. Consider pairing it with plants with slender silhouettes like kniphofias, agastaches, and Verbena bonariensis, enhancing the horizontal aspect of its umbels.

Yarrow is a plant with many healing properties. It can be used in various ways, especially for its leaves, which can help with healing and stopping bleeding.

The flowers, when highly concentrated, have a stimulating, tonic and antifever effect. In spring, the bitter-flavoured young shoots are harvested and used sparingly in salads, sauces or as sandwich garnish. In some parts of the world, it is used to flavour beers. Yarrow tea is known to be effective against oily skin.

Yarrow owes its name to the Greek hero Achilles, who supposedly discovered its medicinal properties by using it to treat soldiers' wounds during the Trojan War.