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Golden Yarrow is a sun-loving perennial that brings sustained canary-yellow color to gardens from zones 3 through 9. This hardy achillea grows upright to 3 to 5 feet tall, producing distinctive flat clusters of flowers that emerge in its second year of growth. The fern-like foliage and prolific blooms attract pollinators while serving double duty as exceptional cut and dried flowers, thriving in heat and poor soil where many plants struggle.
Full Sun
Low
3-9
60in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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The canary-yellow flower clusters stay vibrant whether fresh in a vase or dried for long-lasting arrangements, making Golden Yarrow a rare plant that delivers garden color and cutting garden performance simultaneously. Its fern-like foliage remains ornamental throughout the season, and the plant's ability to thrive in lean soil and full sun without coddling makes it a genuinely low-maintenance perennial. Pollinators visit the flat flower clusters consistently, turning your garden into a living habitat while you get months of harvestable stems.
Golden Yarrow excels as a cut flower, with stems harvested at peak bloom for fresh arrangements and also dried for long-lasting dried bouquets and botanical décor. The plant serves as a pollinator magnet in ornamental borders, raised beds, and garden plots, making it as valuable for supporting beneficial insects as for its visual impact.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost, maintaining soil temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for consistent germination. Keep the seed bed moist but not waterlogged during this period.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date when they've developed several true leaves and the danger of frost has passed. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows spaced 24 inches apart. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days before final planting.
Direct sow seeds in spring after the last frost date or in fall for spring emergence. Sow directly where you want plants to grow, as achillea tolerates direct sowing well.
Harvest stems for cutting when the flat flower clusters have fully opened and the yellow color is most vibrant. Cut stems in the morning after dew has dried, taking stems from the base of the plant. For dried flowers, harvest when blooms are completely open and allow them to air-dry by hanging in small bundles in a warm, dark, well-ventilated space for 2 to 3 weeks.
Deadhead spent flower clusters regularly throughout the blooming season to encourage continued flowering and a fuller plant shape. Cut stems for fresh arrangements or drying when flowers are fully open and color is deepest; this also naturally promotes bushier growth. In late fall or early spring, cut back the entire plant to 3 to 4 inches above soil level to rejuvenate growth for the next season.
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“Golden Yarrow, also known by the evocative name Cloth of Gold, is an open-pollinated heirloom variety that has been saved and grown by gardeners for generations. Its journey from seed catalogs into contemporary ornamental borders speaks to its reliable performance and enduring appeal across diverse growing regions.”