Yarrow

A Seasonal Celebration of the Land, Garden & Nature

Long Warm Days, Lavender, Grasshoppers, Thunderstorms, Herbs, Holidays, Tennis, Darkening Greens, Butterflies & Breezes 

Issue 23 July 2020

Yarrow

Achillea millefollium

Found in grassy places and rough meadows, this native plant likes a sunny position on well drained soils and thrives on the chalky downlands around me in Hampshire. You're likely to spot yarrow growing on roadsides too.

Yarrow has marvellous flat white (or sometimes lilac) flowerheads arranged in an umbrella shape on tall narrow stems. These heads actually comprise many tiny individual white flowers packed in together. It looks like an umbellifer, like cow parsley - see my BaldwinBotanica blog No 15 'In Praise of Cow Parsley' - but is actually part of the daisy family. Rub the long feather-like frond leaves and they release an pungent, aromatic smell. Some call it sweet. Some spicy. Some medicinal.

 

Yarrow has been used since ancient times in food and medicine and is still commonly used today.

 

 ROOTS

Yarrow comes with a myriad of common names that suggests people have long been aware of its existence and its usefulness. Amongst the names I uncovered are Nosebleed, Soldier's Woundwort, Herba militaris, Thousand Leaf, Bloodwort, Staunchgrass, Arrow-root, Thousand Seal, Yarroway, Staunchweed, Poor man's pepper, Milfoil and Mylfoyle.

Its latin name reveals more. Achillea millefolium, named after Achilles the famous warrior from Greek mythology, who used a concotion of yarrow to staunch the bleeding wounds of his soldiers. This led to yarrow's ancient name Herba militaris, the herb of soldiers.

 

The second part of its latin name millefolium literally translates as 'with a thousand leaves' and signifies a plant with, unsurprisingly, many leaves. 

 

The Anglo-Saxons regarded yarrow as a powerful herb giving protection against bad luck and illness. It is incorporated in many ancient love spells and including yarrow in your bridal bouquet was considered to ensure seven years of marital bliss! I'm not sure what  the couple did after the seven years - maybe another spell?!

 

Yarrow has deep roots and has historically been used to prevent soil erosion. On farms it was planted with grasses used for fodder, due to its high mineral content.

 

  

RESTORE

The list of yarrow's common names suggests its historical value in herbal medicine and it has long been used as an astringent herb to treat scratches, cuts, wounds and sores. Confusing though it seems yarrow was used to both stop and to encourage blood flow! One of its common names Nosebleed derived from the treatment of rolling the leaves into a ball and stuffing it up ones nose to stop the bleeding.  

Contrarily the same process was used to treat a headache but this time to encourage bleeding in order to decongest the head!!!

 

Today yarrow is used to improve blood circulation and to relieve high blood pressure.  A hot cup of  tea made from yarrow leaves,  is said to be a good remedy for a fever. It lowers the body temperature by opening the capillaries near the skin, allowing the heat to escape and helps 'break' the fever.

 

The essential oil derived from Yarrow is a pretty blue colour and is used in beauty products to ease skin inflammation.

 

NOURISH

I've never cooked with yarrow because of its bitter reputation and apparently you only need a leaf or two. However I have read you can add a few yarrow leaves to salads and infuse olive oil with sprigs of yarrow. 

I've recently found a recipe for one-pot yarrow cake from forager Wross Lawrence which I must try - I'll let you know how I get on!

 

 

FLOURISH

With their long season of interest, yarrows are really useful plants for the garden too. Starting with attractive long lasting feathery foliage that comes up in the spring, colourful flowers in summer and early  autumn, then seedheads that look great in winter. They look fantastic planted in swathes with ornamental grasses like Stipa tenuissima, adding structure to  soft meadow-effect planting.  They're useful plants to use in dried flower arrangements too.

The garden varieties all descend from the native Achillea millefolium. Look out for the varieties with large flattened flowerheads like Achillea 'Moonshine', Achillea 'Terracotta', Achillea 'Summerwine'.

 

Also brilliant for attracting wildlife, yarrow is one of the best producers of nectar in relation to the small space it takes up. The plants attract birds, butterflies, bees, hoverflies and it's caterpillar food for many moths and butterflies - so definitely include yarrow if you want to attract butterflies to your garden.

 

TOP TIP

"If cutting or working with achillea or alchemilla in bright sunshine, you might find your skin reacts to it…. Protect your skin  with gloves and long sleeves."

- Georgie Newberry, Common Farm Flowers 

See if you can spot yarrow when you are out and about this month.  I'll be back with a blog about late July highlights next week but in the meantime I'd love to hear what you spot and/or photograph.

If you have any questions you can reach me via my website www.plotgardendesign.co.uk and please follow/like PLOT Garden Design on social media to receive my seasonal updates and photos.

Keep well, breathe and remember to look outside and notice the details.