Making the most of your garden with yarrow

Credit: iStock / Manook

How does a very enthusiastic gardener like you fit in everything that you want? Seems there is never enough room for herbs, food and ornamental plants as well… Or is there?

Why not use plants that serve multiple purposes? A case in point is yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Aside from being a striking mid-border plant available in many great colours—including cherry red, pink, terra cotta, yellow, white and all the shades in between—for ornamental use, it’s a top-notch plant for insects, attracting many of those beneficial types we love to see—and need!—in our garden like ladybugs. Ladybugs, eager eaters of aphids, are not well known for their elegant flying! (Think: Dumbo learning to fly…) Yarrow, with its umbelliferous form, offers a great landing pad for this adorable but clunky flyer!

Yarrow is also super attractive to bees and is a great source of nectar and pollen for them.

Tea made from yarrow is an astringent, which makes it good for washing your hands. It also makes a great mouthwash. The leaves can also be added to salads, but use only occasionally and lightly, as the flavour can be quite strong.

Yarrow is a sacred plant in many traditions; the stalks have been used in casting the I Ching for many thousands of years.

And, as if all that weren’t enough to commend it, yarrow is known in permaculture and biodynamic farming circles as a “dynamic accumulator.” It gathers nutrients from the soil and makes them available to other plants. This makes it a great companion plant for wimpy ornamentals that otherwise might need extra care!

Achillea millefolium can be invasive so be sure to harvest the flower heads before seed set for your nightly mouthwash!

What a wonderful, benevolent plant: gorgeous in the garden, providing food and forage for beneficial insects, supporting other plants, handy medicinally and a right tasty addition to salads.

What are you waiting for? Get on your bike and hie thee to the nearest garden centre.

Or get a piece with a good root from a friend (roots can be quite long so be careful when digging). Try not to transplant the piece in the bright sun—wait until evening. If a sunny day is the only time you can do this, put a pot or other shade over, water well and be prepared to be impressed.

Brian Campbell is a certified beemaster and beekeeper, heavily involved in food security issues in Richmond and beyond. A member of the BC Association of Master Gardeners, Brian spent three years as seed manager for West Coast Seeds. Brian guest lectures for Gaia College’s Growing Food in the City certificate program, operates pocket markets in Richmond and teaches young people about honey bees as well as native types. He offers classes in grafting fruit trees, food preserving and other farm skills.