Yarrow: A Soldier's Herb

Wherever Roman centurions marched, yarrow grew. As they swept north out of Italy and east to Persia, this soft herb of the field followed their camps. It was planted around forts and outposts as an essential known as herbae militaris. Today, many of these sites are marked only by the lingering presence of yarrow.

The Greek soldier knew of yarrow's value long before the Romans. The great mythological warrior Achilles was to make the fine foliage of yarrow famous by using it in his battles at Troy. He had learned of the plant from his childhood tutor, the centaur Chiron, who taught him it staunched the flow of blood. In reality, it not only made an absorbent wound dressing, the plant also contains a mild anticoagulant. For this reason, the genus for yarrow would be Achillea, to forever honor its Greek origins.

Romans learned from the Greeks to carry yarrow into the battlefield. It would be packed into open wounds to prevent a soldier from bleeding to death before he could be treated. The oil of yarrow may also have contributed some antibacterial properties to reduce infection as well.

Yarrow remained in use as the folk healer's styptic ever since. In the Middle Ages it became "knight's milfoil" and proved useful in the aftereffects of jousting. It was used in the Crusades when monastic apothecaries called it wound wort. Also known as "carpenter's herb," it was cultivated around the workshops for a handy botanical bandage.

Yarrow came to the New World with English redcoats and swept across America with cavalry and pioneers. It was important in the Civil War when blockaded Southern hospitals resorted to both yarrow and another ancient anticoagulant, pot marigold petals, as dressings.

This widespread use proves that the common white-flowered Achillea millefolium is very easy to grow under a wide range of conditions. Recent breeding has expanded the color range from white to include red, pink, orange and yellow. Consider the 'Summer Pastels' strain from seed or nursery six-packs, which makes a more attractive planting.

This species is very hardy to Zone 1, and produces soft, fine-textured green-gray foliage and a flat-topped bloom mass above stiff stems. It is a fine dried flower and often grown purely for everlastings. Plants are about 2 feet tall in bloom and spread like groundcover to about 4 feet wide.

The most dramatic garden yarrows are the bigger showy types that bloom in shades of yellow. They are a no-brainer for perennial borders. Fernleaf yarrow, Achillea filipendulina, is tall and graceful, to about 5 feet in bloom. Hardy to Zone 2, it makes an outstanding carefree perennial for all 50 states. Favored companion plants are equally robust American natives, such as purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and Bee Balm, (Monarda didyma).

Further variations include Achillea 'Moonshine', which produces a smaller plant with silvery foliage that is lovely in faint light. It is favored in the arid West, where it blooms abundantly. Look for Achillea 'Coronation Gold' for a good upright background plant.

A few years after you plant yarrow, it may die out in the center of the clump. This means that it's time to divide them. Do this in the spring further north and in late fall in the arid West to take advantage of winter rains. Gently lift the plant with a spading fork and break the mass into smaller pieces and replant all around your garden.

Yarrow is a superior starter for new gardeners looking for a medicinal herb, a cut flower and a reliable source of hardy color all in one plant. Even if no soldiers live at your house, you can be sure it will naturalize as if a Roman centurion did.

(Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and author of Water Works and 13 other books.)