Achillea Moonshine
Raised by Alan Bloom in 1954 from Achillea clypeolata crossed with Achillea 'Taygetea', 'Moonshine' remains the yarrow most gardeners picture when they hear the name. Flat heads of bright sulphur yellow sit on straight stems over a low mat of silver-grey, finely divided leaves. The foliage colour holds through the season and is half the reason to grow it. Flowering starts in November and continues into February.
Silver leaves and strong yellow flowers make Moonshine a natural fit for hot, dry borders, gravel and coastal gardens, and Mediterranean-style planting. It reads well beside blue and purple flowers, and against dark foliage such as purple heuchera or bronze phormium. The flat heads are a good landing pad for bees, and cut stems keep their colour once dried.
Full sun and sharp drainage are the two requirements. Poor, stony and dry soils suit it, and it takes wind and salt air without complaint. Unlike the millefolium yarrows, this one stays as a tight clump rather than running, which makes it far easier to place in a small garden. Wet winter ground is the one thing it will not tolerate.
Forms a clump around 0.5 to 0.6 m tall and 0.5 m wide, with flower stems held clearly above the silver foliage.
Trimming: Once flowering finishes, cut the whole plant down to its low leaf rosette in late autumn. Through the season, shear off flowering stems as they brown to bring on a second flush. Yarrow foliage can irritate sensitive skin, so gloves are worth wearing when you cut it back.
Deadheading: Remove faded heads regularly, both to keep the plant flowering and to limit self-seeding. Because the lemon flowers fade to cream naturally, wait until the heads brown rather than cutting them at the cream stage.
Fertilising: No feeding is needed in reasonable soil, and rich conditions make the stems weak. On very poor sand, a light dressing of general fertiliser in spring is enough for the season.
Watering: Water through the first summer to establish. After that yarrow is one of the more drought-tolerant perennials and only needs help in a long dry spell. Avoid wet winter soil, which is what kills it.
Pest Control: Aphids can gather on flower stems in spring and wash off with a jet of water. Slugs and snails may graze new growth in a wet spring.
Disease Management: Powdery mildew shows as a grey film on the foliage in humid, crowded conditions. Space plants for air movement, divide clumps before they congest, and water at ground level rather than over the leaves.
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