Achillea millefolium White Beauty

New variety, 'White Beauty' yarrow is a semi-evergreen perennial that stands out from other varieties with its strongly flattened umbels of a pure white colour and butter yellow eye, appearing from July to September. Its green, dissected, aromatic foliage forms a compact tuft with a light and feathery silhouette, fitting well in more rural scenes, such as meadows or among more fleshy and voluminous perennials in a sunny border. Yarrow can be planted in sunny and well-drained soil. It is a perennial plant that is perfect for flower beds. Resistant to heat and drought in summer, it is also suitable for dry gardens. With its spreading habit, it is also ideal as a ground cover, with its rhizomes spreading over time to form beautiful flower carpets.

Yarrow is a stoloniferous perennial plant native to Europe and Asia Minor that belongs to the asteraceae family. Yarrow is attractive to pollinators, especially beetles. It forms a tuft of characteristic leaves that resemble those of certain ferns. With its rapid growth, 'White Beauty' yarrow quickly reaches its adult size after the second year of planting: 600 cm in height at full bloom, with a spread of 60 cm. The stem is channelled and villous, and the foliage is finely dissected into strips. The inflorescence is a slightly rounded and flattened corymb, held well above the foliage. It is composed of numerous small flower heads. When dried, the flowers remain decorative for a long time after summer and can also be dried outside and in the shade for creating dry bouquets. By regularly removing faded inflorescences, the flowering is very perpetual. It prefers fresh, light, and not too rich soils but tolerates remarkably well calcareous soils, dry soils in summer, and less sunny exposures. Heavy, waterlogged soils should be avoided.

Perennial, hardy, and undemanding, 'Schneetaler' yarrow will blend well in a dry meadow with golden grasses, the airy blooms of gauras, and blue catmints. Easy to grow and tolerant of drought, this plant can be used to cover the base of shrubs or to border a sunny border. In a sunny border, plant them with light orange flowers of geums, raspberry and white arbustive salvias, wine-coloured monardas, and blue geraniums. Consider combining it with slender silhouettes that will enhance the horizontal aspect of its umbels.

The plant has recognized medicinal properties: it is hemostatic, the leaves have healing properties, and the flowers have a stimulating, tonic, and high concentration action, as well as being febrifuge. The young shoots with a bitter taste are harvested in spring and consumed sparingly in salads, sauces, or as a sandwich accompaniment. In some regions, it is used to flavour beers. Yarrow tea works against oily skin.

Yarrow gets its name from the Greek hero Achilles, who is said to have discovered its medicinal properties by using it to treat wounds of soldiers during the Trojan War.