Achillea taygetea

The Achillea taygetea (synonym Achillea aegyptiaca), also known as Egyptian yarrow, is a relatively rare yarrow in cultivation but widely used for cross-breeding: for example, it is one of the parents of the excellent variety 'Moonshine', favoured by gardeners. This species is vigorous, perennial, easy to grow, and decorative both due to its finely cut grey-silver foliage and its long summer flowering in umbels of a rather soft yellow that is not harsh on the eyes. More or less evergreen in winter, the plant has its place in rockeries or sunny borders, either alone or combined with other ground cover plants. Its flowers are perfect for fresh or dried bouquets.

The Achillea taygetea is a synonym of Achillea tournefortii. It belongs to the Asteraceae family, and this species is native to Greece. This perennial plant reaches about 50cm (20in) in height when flowering, with its inflorescences towering over a lower tuft of abundant leaves in summer. It spreads quite slowly over 40 cm (16in) on the ground through short stolons. Its foliage, soft to the touch, persists in mild climates during winter. It is green in colour, made up of finely cut and toothed leaves 15-20cm (6-8in) long, covered in a fine grey-silver down that becomes lighter in July-August. The flowering renews from June to September, and it can be earlier in mild climates. The floral stems are filled with tufts of small light grey leaves at the nodes and end with flattened inflorescences 5-8cm (2-3in) in diameter, slightly rounded, composed of a multitude of small flowers in a soft yellow colour that fade slightly over time, tightly packed together. 

All yarrows love the sun, porous soils, and have excellent hardiness. The Achillea taygeta, overlooked in favour of its descendants obtained by crossing with common yarrow, is nevertheless very easy to grow and requires very little maintenance. It can be placed in rockeries of course, but also as a border plant if the soil is well-drained. Non-invasive, water-efficient, ideal for dry slopes, this yarrow limits the proliferation of weedy plants and gives a natural look to the garden. It can be associated with other ground cover or cushion plants such as Geranium sanguineum, Erigeron karvinskianus, Nepeta x faassenii. There are many possible combinations, with dwarf Teucrium, dwarf Artemisia lanata, the pretty Centaurea bella, Thymes (hirsutus, ciliatus, lanigerus), or other yarrows with various colors (millefolium, coarctata, nobilis), etc.