Achillea nana

DWARF WHITE WOOLY YARROW

Achillea nana
DWARF WHITE WOOLY YARROW

Furry, soft, finely dissected ash-grey leaves make Achillea nana as cute as a kitten
So you really can’t resist stroking the woolly foliage as it clings flat to the ground as a silken mat.

Furry, silken  grey mat to pat as you pass

While clustered heads of white button flowers contrast wonderfully against this silvery, silken carpet.
With the tight heads of blooms steadily produced right from mid-spring through summer and autumn.

Shining silver & white groundcover

Achillea nana makes a splendid groundcover in the dry garden, or a pretty feature pot.
Because it is so long blooming over summer, while the silver-grey furry foliage mat is decorative all year round.
And when you combine beauty with iron toughness, it makes a very handy groundcover indeed.

Aromatic, insect repelling foliage

Achillea foliage has a pleasant, spicy aroma to us, though insects dislike the scent.
Fortunately the aromatic oils persist strongly even when the leaves are dried.
So fragrant potpourri and insect repellent sachets have traditionally been made with dried Achillea leaves.

Deer & rabbit resistant

Rabbits and deer both dislike the taste and scent of Achillea foliage because it is so highly aromatic, and bitter to the taste.

Hardy, tough & water-wise

This plant is certainly unflappable even in tough going.
So it tolerates hot and dry conditions well; copes with summer humidity; smiles at hard frosts even down to -20C; and shrugs off periods of dry.

Can thrive in poor, rocky or lime soils

Achillea nana even thrives in poor soils, including rocky and sandy or gravel sites, and on limestone soils with a high pH.

Flat mat of silver & white

Clustered heads of blooms sit atop 10cm. stems, sitting jauntily above a dense, flat silver mat approx. 20-30cm. wide.
Dwarf White Wooly Yarrow is a hardy, tough, evergreen perennial groundcover.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY
Suits beginners & gardening with kids

Achillea nana seed can be sown in late summer or autumn / or in late winter and spring – when temperatures are suitable.
Or sow indoors at any time when suitable temperatures can be provided.

Sow indoors for quick & early plants:
First sow the Achillea nana seed in a punnet onto the surface of moist, well-drained, good quality seed raising mix.
Then cover the seed with just a light sprinkling of sieved mix or fine vermiculite.
Because light helps these seeds to germinate.

Now thoroughly moisten the punnet by standing it in a shallow water bath and allowing the moisture to percolate up to the surface of the mix from below.

Then place the moist, sown punnet in a warm, well lit position (not in any direct sunlight).
Temperatures of  15-20°C are ideal for rapid and optimum germination.
You can use a heat mat if you have one to maintain optimum temperatures.

Continue to keep consistently moist but not wet by misting from a spray water bottle.

Germination usually takes 5-10 days in suitable conditions.

However if the seed is shy to germinate and has not sprouted within 10 days – it means the seed is dormant and needs a period of chilling to break dormancy.
So wrap the moist, sown punnet in cling wrap or a polythene bag.
And place in fridge (not freezer) for 4 weeks.
Then remove, unwrap and return to a warm, well-lit position for germination.

When the seedlings have true leaves prick out into pots and grow on to plant out in the garden during suitable weather.

Seed Count: 60 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

GROWING: Achillea nana

Height with flowers: Flower stems are approx. 10cm. tall, and sit atop the silken grey foliage.
Width: Neat tight carpet to a diameter of approx. 20-30cm. with no spreading runners. Not an invasive plant.
Position: Full Sun. Tolerates summer heat well, as well as periods of dry and frost.

Water-wise: A very water wise plant, with minimal water requirement.
Soil: Very un-fussy about soil type, though good drainage is essential. Will tolerate poor soil conditions well. Achillea flower production is best if grown a little hungry. Overfeeding produces leaf growth at the expense of strong flower stems. Best kept lean and mean. Excellent in sandy, or rocky soils. Good choice for coastal gardens.
Frost: Extremely frost hardy, and well able to cope with hard frosts to below -20C.

Growth: Evergreen perennial groundcover carpet with pretty ferny silver foliage all year round.
Birds & bees: Bees and also butterflies delight in visiting the flowers for both pollen and nectar.
Achillea also attracts beneficial ladybirds.
Birds seem to favour Achillea leaves for nest lining, as it is thought the essential oils in the foliage inhibits parasites in the nest.
An extract from the essential oils is a traditional control for mosquito larvae.

Easy Care: Easy care and low maintenance groundcover.
The carpet is quickly tidied by shearing spent flower stems.
You can increase flower production further by dividing and sharing your clump every few years. But no other work is required.
Deer & Rabbit resistant: Rabbits and deer find Achillea distasteful because the essential oils create a bitter taste in the foliage.

Hardy origins

Achillea nana is native to rocky places on the hillsides of Italy, France and Switzerland.
Where it is often found thriving on poor and neglected land.

Traditional healing herb

Achillea has gathered a battalion of common names over the centuries.
Unsurprisingly, many names relate to its use as an antiseptic for treating wounds and staunching blood flow.
Thus common names include soldier’s woundwort, nosebleed plant, bloodwort, carpenter’s weed, knight’s milefoil, sanguinary, stanchweed, thousand seal, and scarily, death flower.
While other common names relate to its attractive foliage, scent, essential oils, and fern-like texture.
Old man’s pepper, bad man’s plaything, old man’s mustard, devil’s nettle, little feather, thousand-leaf, seven-year’s love, and yarrow, but that is just a few common names, there are even more.

Ancient history

The genus name Achillea celebrates an ancient Greek warrior, Achilles.
He also used this plant to heal war wounds.

Important for good beer

In medieval times Achillea was used as a flavouring in beer brewing, and as a preservative for beer.
Both very important roles considering water was a health hazard then.
Given their daily beer intake as a replacement for water, medieval man, and woman, must have spent a lot of time pickled,

And a pioneer plant in Australia

Early sailing ships brought Achillea with the pioneering European settlers to Australia. Pioneering farmers considered it an important ingredient in their family medicine chest, as well as fodder and tonic for their sheep.

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