When to plant and prune Achillea (yarrow)
Achillea (yarrow) flowers from mid June to late August and the dates below cover planting, flowering and the pruning window.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Achillea (yarrow) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower | Prune |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| South Coast and Channel | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| South East and Home Counties | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| East Anglia | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Wales and West Coast | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Northern England | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Northern Ireland | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late March to mid May | mid June to late August | mid February to mid March |
Growing notes
Drought-resistant once established and a favourite in wildlife gardens for bees and butterflies. Keep it lean: on rich soil the flat flowerheads flop and need support.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 45 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 75 cm
- Eventual spread
- 45 cm
- Hardiness
- H7
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 15 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Feeding
Do not feed: rich soil produces leggy growth that needs staking.
Pruning group
Cut the old stems back to the base from late winter onwards, once you can see the new basal growth.
What usually goes wrong
- flopping and legginess on rich soil
- rot in heavy wet soil
- slugs and snails on new growth
- powdery mildew
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for achillea (yarrow).