Yarrow is a flowering herbaceous perennial native to North America, so it is easy to maintain and doesn’t require much care once established. Mature yarrow plants often stand about 2 feet tall and wide and feature flower clusters in shades of pink, red, white, or yellow. Grow yarrow in full sun in zones 3 through 9. Yarrow is an adaptable plant that can handle drought conditions; it is generally pest resistant but favored by pollinators.
Feature yarrow in beds or borders where it creates a meadow-like setting. Adding the right companion plants will create a unique and full landscape that offers visual interest while supporting pollinators. Bee balm, coneflowers, salvia, and herbs are wonderful companions for yarrow.
Shrubs To Plant With Yarrow
Plant yarrow alongside weigela or hydrangea. Yarrow blooms from spring through fall, weigela blooms in the spring, and hydrangea blooms in the summer. Mixing and matching plants that bloom at different times and overlapping bloom times ensures there is dependable color all season and keeps the landscape dynamic. Hydrangeas do best in the morning sun and afternoon shade, so position the shrubs so the yarrow can get plenty of sunlight while the hydrangea has some protection.
Perennials To Plant With Yarrow
Yarrow is an herbaceous perennial known for its medicinal properties, and it makes a wonderful companion plant for other fragrant herbs like oregano, sage, bee balm, and rosemary. Bee balm or monarda thrives in full sun and is native to North America, so it does not require much care. The bold pink, purple, or red flowers have tubular petals contrasting nicely against the dainty yarrow blooms.
Coneflower, flax (linum), sedum, red hot poker, agapanthus, and daylily are other flowering perennials that provide dependable summer-time color without much care.These plants require full sun and minimal summer water once established. Stagger the plantings with yarrow so all the plants and their blooms are visible.
Annuals To Plant With Yarrow
Mixing annuals and perennials in the same bed ensures consistency but also allows the opportunity to introduce new colors and textures. Try planting yarrow in your veggie bed or kitchen garden to attract pollinators and predatory insects that will benefit your edible plants. Yarrow is particularly helpful when grown near cabbage, cauliflower, arugula and broccoli. The veggie plants have higher water needs than yarrow, so cluster those plants together to make watering easy. Yarrow can handle routine watering, but performs better in drier conditions.
Photo by Mark Wordy, unmodified, Flickr, copyright CC BY 2.0
Best Companion Plants For Yarrow in Containers
Use yarrow as a filler in a container for herbs. This medium-sized perennial will look nice alongside smaller varieties of lavender, rosemary, and thyme. These herbs have lavender or pink flowers that work well with the pink, red, white, or yellow yarrow blooms. Place the container in a sunny spot and water weekly or when the top few inches of the soil are dry. Yarrow is drought tolerant, but containers tend to dry out quickly.
Plants Not To Grow With Yarrow
Yarrow is an easy-to-grow perennial and generally makes a wonderful companion for most plants that need full sun and have low water needs once established. Plants that require drastically different care will not do well with yarrow. Low-light plants like coral bells and hosta are not a good fit to plant with yarrow. Even plants with similar care needs may not work well, depending on how they are planted. A tall shrub or tree that blocks sunlight and keeps yarrow in the shade will not be a good neighboring plant.
Best Plants To Grow With Yarrow
The best plants to grow with yarrow require similar care needs. This native herb is easy to grow and supports pollinators. Planting yarrow along with weigela, rosemary, salvia, crocosmia, and coneflowers creates a low-maintenance landscape that helps bees, butterflies, and other pollinators thrive while making the yard or outdoor space look amazing.
Weigela
Hydrangea
Bee Balm
Rosemary
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Author Alison Cotsonas - Published 09-15-2023 |