Growing Yarrow from Seed: A Complete Growing Guide

Growing yarrow from seed welcomes a top herb, with a broad range of abilities, into your garden.

Yarrow is easy to cultivate and has a beautiful little flower that is used in traditional medicine for centuries.

From attracting beneficial pollinators to crafting healing remedies and dried flower arrangements, growing yarrow from seed opens up endless possibilities for both garden and medicine cabinet.

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Fun fact: If you’re starting your medicinal garden journey, Nicole Apelian’s Medicinal Garden Kit (which includes Yarrow seeds alongside 9 other healing plants like echinacea and calendula) offers a curated shortcut to growing your own pharmacy. Pair it with the planting tips below, and you’ll have a thriving apothecary in no time.

About Achillea Millefolium

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), also known as soldier’s woundwort, is a flowering plant in the aster family (Asteraceae). Its name derives from the Greek hero Achilles, who reportedly used the herb to treat his soldiers’ wounds.

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Further reading: The Medicinal Uses of Yarrow

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Grow yarrow plants as hardy perennials in zones 3-9. While they readily self-seed and spread through rhizomes in favorable conditions, they can be easily controlled through regular maintenance and division.

Yarrow plants grow in an upright, spreading form, reaching 24-48 inches in height and 24-36 inches in width. This makes them perfect for:

• Xeriscaping and drought-resistant gardens
• Butterfly gardens and pollinator habitats
• Border plantings
• Meadow gardens

Yarrow flowers form flat-topped clusters (corymbs) of tiny, densely-packed blooms in white, yellow, pink, or red hues. Each flower head contains numerous small blossoms that attract a wide variety of pollinators, especially beneficial insects and butterflies.

Yarrow offers multiple benefits in the garden – their feathery foliage provides interesting texture, while their sturdy blooms offer long-lasting cut flowers.

When planted alongside vegetables, they help improve soil health and attract beneficial insects that prey on garden pests.

If you’re eager to enjoy the beauty and benefits of yarrow without the wait, you can skip the growing process and start with a live plant!

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Achillea Millefolium Flower Cultivars

There are numerous cultivars of yarrow, with some notable ones including:

• Summer Pastels produces a mix of soft pink, salmon, yellow, and white flowers that bloom throughout summer. It’s particularly valued for its compact growth habit and strong stems.
• Cerise Queen displays deep cherry-red flowers that hold their color well, making them excellent for dried arrangements and long-lasting garden color.
• Moonshine is prized for its bright yellow flowers and silvery-gray foliage. This variety is especially drought-tolerant and maintains a neat, compact form.
• New Vintage White offers pure white blooms on shorter, sturdy stems, making it perfect for smaller gardens and containers.

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What Do Yarrow Seeds Look Like

Yarrow seeds are tiny, flat, and oval-shaped, measuring only about 1/16 inch long. They have a pale gray to brown color and are relatively easy to collect and store, despite their small size.

How to Grow Yarrow from Seed

To grow yarrow, seeds can be started directly in the garden or indoors.

Since the seeds need light to germinate, press them gently into the soil surface without covering them.

Seeds can be sown as soon as soil can be worked in spring or started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date.

Unlike many garden plants, yarrow actually performs better in poor soil conditions. Rich soil often leads to floppy growth and reduced blooming.

The key is providing excellent drainage and full sun exposure.

Yarrow readily self-seeds and spreads through underground rhizomes, often establishing robust colonies over time.

While this spreading tendency can be advantageous in meadow gardens or naturalized areas, you may want to control its spread in more formal garden settings.

Plants typically begin blooming in their first year when started early enough, taking about 85-95 days from seed to first bloom.

Once established, they’ll flower continuously throughout summer and into fall with proper deadheading.

Yarrow prefers well-draining, lean soil and thrives in dry conditions.

Regular deadheading encourages continuous blooming and prevents aggressive self-seeding.

In most climates, yarrow is reliably perennial and will return each spring, growing more vigorous over time.

Division every 3-4 years helps maintain plant health and control spread.

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Yarrow Seed Saving

To save yarrow seeds, allow flower heads to dry completely on the plant. Collect the dried flower heads and gently crush them to release the tiny seeds. Store in a cool, dry place.

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Harvesting Yarrow

To harvest yarrow flowers, cut the stems when the flower heads are fully open but before they begin to fade. Cut early in the morning after dew has dried but before the heat of the day.

For medicinal use, harvest both flowers and leaves when plants are in full bloom. The entire above-ground portion of the plant can be used, though flowers are considered most potent.

A single established yarrow plant can provide multiple harvests throughout the growing season, with proper cutting actually encouraging more growth and blooming. Check out how to harvest yarrow seeds here.

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Medicinal Uses and Benefits of Yarrow

Yarrow has been used traditionally for its:

• Wound-healing properties
• Fever-reducing abilities
• Anti-inflammatory effects
• Blood-moving properties
• Digestive support

The flowers and leaves can be used fresh or dried to create teas, tinctures, and poultices. Its astringent and anti-inflammatory properties make it particularly valuable for first aid and skin care applications.

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I hope this guide has inspired you to learn more about growing and using yarrow. It’s a wonderful medicinal herb that’s incredibly resilient and offers so many beneficial uses in both the garden and home apothecary.

You can get premium yarrow seeds here, or a complete medicinal garden seed kit here. Happy gardening and healing!