Simcoe County Master Gardeners
Grow Natives!
PLANT PROFILE
COMMON NAME: Boreal Yarrow *
BINOMIAL: Achillea borealis
| Family | Asteracae |
| Cdn Native Range | Alaska, Canada, NE of USA |
| Natural habitat | prairies, open forests, disturbed areas |
| Type | herbaceous perennial |
| Features | fern-like leaves, small white flowers, aromatic ferny gray-green leaves |
| Growth habit | spreading |
| Mature height | 30–60 cm (12–24”) |
| Mature spread | spreads rapidly by rhizomes, forms dense mats |
| Life span | perennial |
| Cdn Hardiness Zone | 3–7 |
| Growing conditions | full sun |
| Soil conditions | well-drained, sandy loams or poor soil |
| Watering needs | drought tolerant |
| Fertilizer needs | none |
| Tolerance | drought, extreme cold, deer tolerant |
| Maintenance rank | low; deadhead spent flowers to lateral buds for more blooms |
| Maintenance needs | divide every 3–4 years. |
| Bloom | June – September- clusters of white flowers, corymbs 2” diameter |
| Fruit | seed |
| Pollinator support | food source for pollinators; larval host for painted lady butterfly; larval host for wavy-lined emerald, yellow plume, and several other moths |
| Environmental support | pollen attracts beneficial insects; foliage is used by several cavity-nesting birds to line their nests |
| Garden Use | naturalized areas; used to stabilize soil, ornamental |
| Risks & Cautions | may promote an allergic reaction; intolerant of hot humid summers; prone to stem rot, powdery mildew, rust. |
References: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx; Wild About Flowers,https://wildaboutflowers.ca/products/yarrow
*Note: This plant is listed in various sources both as a native and of Eurasian origin possibly having hybridized and naturalized with common yarrow (Achillea millefolium).
Photo Credits:
Common Yarrow – bloom (credit: Allen Browne, CC BY 4.0)
Common Yarrow–clump (credit: sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0)
