I have had yarrow in my gardens for years, but I think that as much as I’ve tried to embrace it, I have finally decided I just don’t like it. I love it in the wild, out in the prairies and fields, but in the garden it tends to be messy, overgrown, floppy, often rather dead looking and spreads to places I don’t want it. I currently have two gardens with white yarrow in them. I have moved it around a few times trying to find a nice place for it (and also seem to always leave a little bit behind). I also have a single Oertel’s Rose Yarrow plant remaining that I got from the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale about 5 years ago. I actually think that one is a much better specimen and may make the cut as I pull out the yarrow this fall. This is what mine look like this year:
I also have a single tidy Oertel’s Rose Yarrow plant mixed in oddly with the white. It’s hard to see in this light, but it is a beautiful rose, purple color on medium height stems.
What has been your experience with yarrow in the garden?
Mixed. I have had the cultivar Paprika for years. It has waxed and waned (I never bothered to divide it) and is currently waning. I am thinking of giving a nudge over the edge to oblivion. Sometimes I think of buying a different cultivar, though, so what can I say?