Common Yarrow is a beautiful garden plant that is often regarded as a weed. The leaves are feathery and branched. It's an umbellifer with pretty, small white to light pink flowers. It gets its name from the many leaves it has. Millefolium means "a thousand leaves". This plant also occurs abundantly in nature in our country (the Netherlands). It's also a common plant in the rest of Europe and North America. It flowers mainly on grassland and in verges. It needs well-drained soil. It sows itself and also spreads by its rhizomes. It can easily take over entire garden areas.
Yarrow can be used as a substitute for hops in the making of beer. Oil can also be made from this plant via the use of a distillery. This oil can be used in the bath, for instance, and because of its distinctive smell. Yarrow can also be used to dye fabrics yellow, orange and brown. Be careful with the plant, though, as it can cause hypersensitivity to light when its sap comes into contact with the skin. Yarrow can be used on small wounds to stop bleeding and to disinfect the wound. Yarrow can be used as a medicinal herb against: colds, stomach and intestinal complaints, fevers and blood purification. For this purpose, the leaves together with the flowers are used to make a fairly bitter tea. This tea can be mixed with other herbs to make it less bitter. This tea is also an appetite stimulant. Yarrow is also used against cramps in women. Pregnant women shouldn't use Yarrow. The taste of Yarrow leaves is slightly bitter with a sweet undertone. The young leaves can also be used in soups, stews and salads. Here, Yarrow adds a bitter flavour. Yarrow also neutralises fat. Yarrow is also a host plant for various butterflies and moths. Yarrow is also visited by bees and other beneficial insects. It's also a beautiful natural cut flower. Hardy perennial. Height: 15 - 50 cm.
Outdoor sowing: April -June and July - September
Germination: 7 - 14 days
Germination temp: 10 - 21 °C
Sowing depth: shallow - ½ cm
Plant distance: 30 - 45 cm
Plant position: full sun - half shade
Harvest period: June - November
Flowering period: June - November
Yarrow is exclusively sown outside. Sow as of April in a pre-prepared seedbed. Sow thinly and shallowly. Press or rake the seeds carefully into the soil. Don't cover them as Yarrow is a light germinator. Keep the seeds well moist and don't let them dry out. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let it drop too much, especially at night. Keep well moist and weed-free. After the seeds have germinated, the young seedlings can tolerate a slightly cooler temperature (10 - 16 °C). From the end of September - beginning of October put the plants in a permanent position. Provide a calcareous, well-drained and sunny spot with partial shade. Yarrow can be grown on many different types of soil: sand, peat and clay. This plant likes disturbed and poor soil.
As soon as the flowers start to bloom, they can be harvested. The flowers can be dried on a drying rack in a well-ventilated room to preserve them better. Store the dried flowers and leaves in a plastic box with a lid in a dry, dark and frost-free place.
