Decorative yarrow

The well-known yarrow to all of us is named after the mythical hero of Troy - Achilles, whose wounds were healed by this particular plant.

Many people believe that the name "yarrow" is precisely Russian, but no, the plant was named by transliterating the word from the Latin language - "millefolium" - this is exactly what it means.

In reality, the plant does not have even half of a thousand leaves, but the flowers are not just thousands, but tens of thousands.

From time immemorial, yarrow stopped blood, healed wounds and used it for other, very different purposes (scared away evil spirits, for example).

Weighty genus yarrow(Achillea)belonging to the Asteraceae family (Compositae), spread over the temperate arctic regions and climbed into the mountains. Modern botanists count 151 species in the genus. Approximately 10% of the species composition grows in Russia, and a dozen or two species are often used not for medicinal but for decorative purposes.

For the most part, yarrow is a perennial plant with a very powerful rhizome and erect, leafy shoots, sometimes reaching a meter in height. The leaves are alternate, the inflorescences are baskets, reaching the diameter of a pencil.

Yarrow is good to keep in the garden, it heals the soil.

For decorative purposes from tall species, the following are used:

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). It grows in our country and surrounding regions. Forms a kind of loose bush and small baskets arranged in rigid shields. The flowers of the reed type are light pink, and those of the other type are yellowish.

There are many varieties, the most worthy:

• Cerise queen (Cherry Queen) - cherry-red color, which can be encountered in nature, however, the pink color lasts almost the entire warm season, which practically does not happen in nature, has the longest flowering period;
• Kirschkonigin can change the shades of inflorescences from alo-cherry to pink-purple;
• Paprika - forms bright, dark cherry-red, located along the edges, flowers that fade in an open place, and a yellowish center of a small size;
• Red velvet has a color of flowers, like the peel of a ripe cherry - you can safely plant it in an open area, the sun is not afraid of it.
• Walther funche - shows the brightest salmon color;
• at Great Expectations baskets are rich yellowish.
• If you are a fan of light lemon, then choose a short Marie ann (up to 40 cm in height);
• if you want something rare - plant an orange-brown variety Terracota, whose flowers turn golden with age.
• shades of gentle lilac will pamper Lilac beauty,
• and grade Summerwine with gray-green, woolly sheet plastics, the name of which translates as Summer wine, is actually a deep crimson color;
• Summer pastels - a mixture of pink and orange.
• another variety on the theme of "pink" - Pretty belinda - these are plants on very compact, only 45-50 cm "legs", they are quite pale, to dark pink.
• want to occupy the empty space as quickly as possible - then you need to plant on the site Appleblossom, this variety grows as quickly as possible, has white-pink flowers, reaches a height of about 40 cm and blooms for almost the entire warm season, the main thing is to plant the plants every couple of years, thereby rejuvenating;
• for fans of white in the garden, we recommend the variety White Beauty.

Interesting hybrids of the Galaxy series, this is primarily Lachsschonheit, which initially gives a salmon-pink color of flowers, and at the time of their wilting acquires a beige color, is perfect for dry and open places with poor soil. Apfelblute - almost everything is the same, only being initially pink, subsequently the flowers turn gray-white.

Yarrow ptarmica, or sneeze herb (Achillea ptarmica). Its main difference is in the creeping rhizome and small whole leaves. The flowers are ligulate, snow-white pearl. Blooms for about a month. The species has a variety with double flowers (Achillea ptarmica var. flore pleno). There are varieties such as:

• The peri - about 70 cm tall with small baskets filled with double flowers that bloom in June for two months.
• Two more cultivars are close to him - Schneeball (50-55 cm) and Perry's white (up to 1 m).
• Quite interesting are double flowers in low cultivars Perle blaupunkt and Balerina, although their disadvantage is that they quickly fade, they acquire a dirty gray inflorescence color.
• Perhaps, of all this, it is worth seriously paying attention to Stephanie cohen, this variety is not terry and has lilac flowers pleasant to the eye.

Yarrow(Achillea ptarmicifolia) reaches a height of about 65 cm. The leaves are small, the flowers are white with cream. Blooms from June to late August.

Yarrow meadowsweet (Achillea filipendulina) - more than 1 m in height, with grayish-green foliage and small baskets, collected in shields, reaching a dozen centimeters in diameter. The species has quite a few varieties:

• Coronation gold, perfect for cutting (up to 80 cm), with golden flowers.
• Cultivar Altgold, its flowers are a mixture of gold and copper color, which in combination with gray-green leaves gives a chic effect in June.
• At the cultivar Schwefelblute inflorescences are sulfur-yellow, also perfectly combined with gray-green leaf blades.
• Gold plate first of all, it is distinguished by its huge dark yellow shields, convex in shape, and indeed a golden plate, which seemed to hang at a height of almost one and a half meters.
• Only a couple of centimeters lower grade Parkerforming golden yellow flowers,
• And for fans of giants, a cultivar is suitable Cloth of Gold, the color of the flowers is the same, but the growth of the plant is more than one and a half meters.
• Low varieties (45-55 cm) are Moonshine with lemon yellow flowers,
• even lower (25-30) - Schwellenburg with pure yellow flowers.

Yarrow(Achillea nobilis), originally from the southern extremities of our country, growing mostly on limestone. Reaches a height of 70 cm, has simple stems, slightly branched at the crown and strongly leafy. The baskets are arranged in rather thick and very complex shields. The ligules of the flowers located on the edge are whitish-yellowish, they are semi-elliptical in shape, there are characteristic three teeth on the crown of each petal. This species bestows flowers on the world at the very beginning of summer.

Yarrow(Achillea macrocephala). Its noticeable snow-white inflorescences-baskets will not leave you indifferent. It is widespread, the plant itself is a typical perennial, reaching a meter in height. The first flowers appear in the last month of summer or September, although if the summer is hot, it may bloom earlier. Completely unpretentious.

Slightly less known to landscape designers are the types of low-growing yarrows, but there are many of them, they are beautiful and winter-hardy.

For example blackish yarrow(Achillea atrata), forms carpet thickets and stretches only 9-11 cm. The leaves are dark green, flowers blooming in July are small, white.

Yarrow (Achillea ageratifolia syn. Tanacetum argenteum) a couple of centimeters higher. This is a bush, reaching 20-22 cm in diameter. The leaves are gray-white, the flowers are white.

Felted yarrow(Achillea tomentosa) forms luxurious carpet thickets, reaching a height of 14-16 cm, although each bush can grow up to 40-50 cm. Baskets of flowers are lemon-yellow. Blooms from July to August. The well-known variety Aurea is very compact, reaching a height of 18-22 cm with bright, yellow inflorescences.

Also interesting golden yarrow (Achillea chrysocoma), creeping along rocky slopes, yarrow(Achillea umbellata) - this is a perennial, which is called cushion-shaped, its height is no more than 12 cm, Keller's yarrow (Achillea x kellereri) is a hybrid plant, just over 12 cm tall, with silvery white leaves. Currently, this species has been abolished, but it is still found under the same name. Yarrow Erba Rotta(Achillea erba-rotta) reaches a height of 12-16 cm, also of the carpet type with smooth, sometimes serrated leaf blades.

Usually yarrows are rock garden plants, they are planted in the cracks between stones, however, providing moisture and nutrition.