How to Grow and Use Yarrow

Let’s talk about how to grow and use yarrow.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a tough, hardy perennial as well as a potent medicinal herb.

Some people consider this an invasive, roadside weed. However, I have always loved Yarrow, even before I knew its’ medicinal value, and I have always left a place for it in my flower beds and herb gardens. I think that Yarrow flowers are beautiful, with their umbrella-type shape and varying colors from white to pinkish-red. I also LOVE their soft, fern-like leaves.

As long as you MAINTAIN your yarrow, they will not become an invasive plant in your garden, but instead they will know their place.

Medicinal Uses of Yarrow:

**Yarrow has many powerful medicinal purposes:

• It can be used to stop bleeding quickly. This includes treating heavy menstrual bleeding.
• It can be used to dilate peripheral blood vessels, which makes it good for the heart. (Check this post of mine for an Herbal Tea for the Heart)
• Yarrow is good for reducing inflamation.
• This herb helps with fevers and colds/flus by reducing body temperatures and encouraging perspiration (often combined with elder flowers for this). Click here for my herbal tea that you should take at the first sign of a cold.
• Yarrow is also a valuable digestive remedy: it helps with colic, indigestion, and improving appetite by stimulating bile flow and liver function.

For more information, check out this other post of mine on the Medicinal Benefits of Yarrow.

If you are not interested in growing yarrow, but you want to use it, you can often find some at local health stores. Otherwise, you might need to buy it online, this is an online option.

How to Grow Yarrow:

**Yarrow is a tough, hardy perennial. 

**This plant is very easy to grow, and shines in zones 3-9.

**Even if you do not want to plant Yarrow for its’ medicinal benefits OR because the flowers are beautiful, you should plant Yarrow because when you add the leaves to your compost pile, it will speed up decomposition. It also “doctors” the plants near the Yarrow, making them healthier and better in many ways (see below for more on that).

Position:

**You can pretty much plant Yarrow anywhere.

**It likes anything from full sun to partial shade. Yarrow will tolerate any type of soil, but prefers well-drained, rich soil.

**They are frost hardy and drought-resistant, so you can plant them in spots of your yard where other things will not grow.

Propagation:

**You can propagate from seed (like these). It is best if you do cold stratification for 1 month, then sow the seeds in pots indoors. Do not transplant outdoors until 6-8 weeks later (when the plant is healthy and frost danger has passed).

**You can also sow the seeds directly into the ground in Early Spring. For more information on what to plant in Early Spring, check out this post.

**You can also propagate by root division in the Spring or Fall.

Maintenance:

**Since Yarrow is an invasive plant, you need to maintain it by dividing the plant. Dig up clumps of the plant and either plant it somewhere else or put the leaves in your compost pile and properly discard the rest.

**You should divide the plant every 3 years in late Fall or Early Spring.

Companion Planting:

**Yarrow is considered the “plant doctor” of the garden. Yarrow’s root secretions activate the disease resistance of nearby plants. It also deepens the color, flavor, and fragrance of  nearby plants.

Harvesting:

**If you are using Yarrow for medicinal purposes, you use the leaves and flowers, either fresh or dried.

**Harvest the flowering stalks when they are fully open. If you are drying the, hang them upside down in small bunches, out of direct sunlight.

**You can harvest the leaves at anytime.

Do YOU grow and use Yarrow?

I hope you learned something about how to grow and use yarrow. Do you already grow it?

If so, how do you use yarrow for your home?

If not, do you think you will grow Yarrow or at least use it in the future?

More Herbal Tips:

• Everything You Need to Know About Lemon Balm
• Borage Tea for Stress
• Everything You Need to Know About Valerian
• Growing and Using Feverfew