The yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a delicately flowering and pleasantly scented perennial, not only on the side of the road in nature. This edible perennial can also be cultivated in the garden in the right location with little maintenance.
When and how should you prune yarrow?
Yarrows should be pruned after the first bloom in July to stimulate a second bloom. Shoots and spent inflorescences can be cut off in fall or spring and the plant divided every three to four years to control its spread.
Cut in autumn or spring?
The withered inflorescences and shoots of the yarrow can generally be cut off relatively flexibly either in autumn or spring. Since the inflorescences dried by the sun directly in the bed are relatively stable, they also look quite decorative in a snow-covered perennial bed. The wilted inflorescences can also be cut off near the ground before winter, but cutting them back with new growth in spring is also sufficient. Many hobby gardeners cut off the flowers and leaves of the yarrow much earlier anyway in order to use them for the following purposes:
- as part of decorative dry bouquets
- as a medicinal plant in the form of teas and tinctures
- as an edible ingredient in various recipes
Stop the spread of yarrow through timely pruning
If the seeds on the yarrow inflorescences reach full maturity, the yarrow tends to self-sow relatively strongly in its respective location. However, you can prevent this by cutting off the inflorescences immediately after flowering and composting them. In terms of plant size, pruning is not usual for yarrow, but rather the plants are divided every three to four years. This division also prevents the plants from aging otherwise.
Stimulate a second flowering with pruning
If the inflorescences are quickly cut back immediately after the first flowering period in July, yarrow may well re-bloom in a suitable location. If possible, you should only give compost to the yarrow as fertilizer in spring and autumn. Otherwise, the plants do not need any special fertilizer even with two flowering phases, otherwise they tend to form long stems, which affects the stability of the plants.
Tip
If you want to use the yarrow inflorescences for dry containers, you should cut them off on a hot, dry day. To dry, the false umbels of the yarrow are hung upside down in a well-ventilated place for about three weeks.