- A vegetable garden should not only be filled
with juicy tomatoes, like this one here,
in fact, it should be filled
with gorgeous pollinator plants, like this yarrow.
And you know what?
I actually see a little insect on here right now.
(insect buzzes) What's that?
You want them to cultivate that like button
and they'll be blessed with incredible pollinator benefits?
You gotta listen to the pollinators, guys.
Let's go up to Chris in Vancouver, BC
to learn how to grow yarrow.
- In my garden I like to grow a lot of flowering perennials,
not just for the long-term beauty
but because many of these plants offer both food and shelter
for birds and insects.
And one plant in particular really stands out
as a superstar, at least to me,
because it's low maintenance and also because it provides
so much value to the garden
despite me not really putting much effort into growing it.
The plant that I'm talking about is yarrow.
The yarrow right here is the common yarrow,
or achillea millefolium.
And yarrows are in the asteraceae or daisy family.
And for the most part, most of them are hardy
down to zone three.
This white flowered one is the one that's native
to North America.
There are also different achilleas
that are native to different parts of the world.
This classic white flowered yarrow will get
to be about three feet tall.
So it's not quite there yet.
And you may have seen yarrows that come in pinks,
reds, orange, and yellows,
and that's because yarrows are such practical
and useful plants that they have been bred
to suit a wide range of aesthetics and needs.
So you may see some that only get to 18 inches tall
and there are some that get up to four feet tall.
So really there is a yarrow that is suitable
for all types of gardens if you have a sunny spot.
Now, if we step back and take a look at the plant,
it is quite tall and vertical and very proud in its posture.
And as it grows, because it is a clump former,
you'll notice the base where the leaves are,
it'll just get wider and wider
and create this beautiful lush mass of foliage.
Speaking of leaves, let's take a look
at these lovely soft leaves.
So yarrow leaves are oftentimes described as being fern-like
and you can tell why.
Most of them are green,
many of them have a silvery look to them,
which is quite pretty.
And you'll notice how lush and full it is,
like all of this foliage behind me.
And that's actually why I always recommend yarrow
as an addition to mixed lawn plantings.
So yarrow is very low water and also it is mowable.
If we come in and take a closer look at
this flat top inflorescence or cluster of flowers,
we'll notice that it's comprised
of these individual mini daisy flowers.
Because remember, this plant belongs to the daisy family.
And if you're not a fan of having a lot of white flowers
in your garden, you have other choices,
like I mentioned before.
So with cultivars like terracotta, moon shine,
apple blossom, paprika, you can really have a lot
of color in your garden just by growing yarrow.
And another great thing with this plant is
that it makes fantastic cut flowers and dried flowers.
The flowers generally appear late spring through till fall
and they do have a smell.
Some people describe it as like a resonance camomile.
I personally think it smells like wet socks or old cabbage,
and that's okay, I don't need to like it.
Thankfully the insects really like it,
especially the beneficial ones.
So in addition to butterflies and bees,
predatory wasps, lacewings, ladybugs, and hover flies
all are attracted to achillea
and these insects have very voracious larva
that can really keep those pest populations in check.
And a quick note on edibility.
Western arrow is widely regarded as an important plant
in many traditional medicines.
Both flowers and the leaves are commonly used
in herbal preparations,
but because I am no expert in this area
it is always best to consult with a herbalist before using.
The reason why I say yarrow is a great low maintenance plant
is because once they have full sun and well draining soils
they are going to be happy, healthy, robust plants.
And actually if you pop yarrow into an overly moist,
overly rich growing situation,
what you see is a lot of fresh floppy growth
and the plants just kind of don't look very strong
and that means you have to stake them up or prune them,
which isn't always ideal.
So think drought tolerant, think xeriscaping,
or growing without the reliance of irrigation.
That's what these plants are really good at.
And yarrow doesn't really need
much pruning throughout the year.
If you have a longer growing season,
you can definitely cut back spent flowers down to the base
to encourage more blooms.
But I personally like to leave the seed heads up
so I can have something really nice
to look at during the winter months.
And I like to leave the stocks in place
because they act as little perches for the birds that visit.
In terms of pests and diseases,
insect pests generally don't touch this plant probably
because there are so many beneficial hanging
around the flowers.
And this could be a really great plant for you
if you live in an area that gets rabbits and deer.
So don't worry about those creatures nibbling on this.
They really don't like yarrow.
So this could be the plant for you
if you see those creatures.
With the fancy colorful cultivars you will likely need
to buy the plants from the store.
But if you wanna grow Western white yarrow,
it's really easy to start them from seed.
And it's basically like growing lettuce from seed
because they're from the same family,
they want the same requirements.
So you wanna surface sow them
so that they can see the light for germination.
And really once they have that, they germinate very readily.
And I know that because I have yarrow everywhere.
I let them self sow and just kind of take over.
If that's not your thing, you just gotta make sure
that you pluck out the seedlings or chop off the seed heads
before they drop everywhere.
And if you already have an established clump of yarrow
it's recommended every three to five years
to divide the plant.
So not only does this help keep the plants vigorous
and prevent overcrowding you end up with a whole bunch
of baby plants that you can tuck
into different parts of the garden.
So that's another great way to propagate.
Yarrow is not only beautiful, it is so low maintenance
that it basically takes care of itself.
And because it supports so many beneficial insects
that keep insect pests in check by having yarrow
in your garden you are
really saving yourself time and effort.
- So get some yarrow in your garden.
Subscribe, good luck in a garden and keep on growing going.
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