Achillea millefolium Summer Pastel

Achillea millefolium 'Summer Pastel', also known as Yarrow, captures the summer light in its pastel bouquets. It is a vigorous perennial plant with light flowering, in small-sized corymbs in a range of soft colours. From July to September, this perennial accompanies the summer blooms and the blue stars of asters. Exuberant and undemanding, this garden regular adds a nostalgic charm to unpretentious borders. Easy to grow in all regions.

Achillea millefolium 'Summer Pastel' is a stoloniferous perennial, with an upright tufted habit from spring onwards. It belongs to the Asteraceae family. The plant reaches a height of 60 cm (24in) when in flower, with foliage measuring 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10in). It spreads over 30 cm (12in) and more. The flowers, present from July to September, are actually heads, with tubular yellow florets in the central disc, while the peripheral florets are ligulate, in pastel shades ranging from apricot-yellow to candy pink. These heads, appearing at the tops of the stems, form flattened or slightly domed corymbs, with a diameter of 7 cm (3in). They give rise to fruits called achenes. The stem is channelled and villous. The light, feathery foliage is matte silver-green, highly aromatic even when dry, and finely dissected into strips. It forms a tall, light and abundant tuft, deciduous or semi-evergreen.

Exuberant and undemanding, this garden regular adds a nostalgic charm to unpretentious borders. Achillea millefolium 'Summer Pastel' integrates well into a rock garden, on top of a wall, as an edging or on a slope, where it contributes to fixing and protecting against erosion. This stoloniferous plant can be used as ground cover over large areas. It allows you to dispense with the mowing required for a lawn by replacing it in lightly trafficked areas. It tolerates competition from tree roots, making it a good ground cover on the edge of woodland. As it is easy to grow and tolerates drought well, it is perfect for dressing the base of shrub roses or bordering a sunny flower bed.

According to Pliny, a Roman naturalist from the first century AD, its name comes from Achilles, a hero from Greek mythology, who used it to heal wounds. Achilles supposedly discovered the healing power of this plant during the Trojan War, when he treated a wound following the advice of Venus.

In fact, the plant has recognized medicinal properties: it is hemostatic, the leaves have healing properties, and the flowers have a stimulating, tonic, and febrifuge action.