Common Name: sneezewort
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 3 to 9
Height: 0.75 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to September
Bloom Description: White (double)
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy, Good Cut, Good Dried
Leaf: Fragrant
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some light shade. Plants do well in average garden soils and tolerate poor soils as long as drainage is good. Avoid heavy clays and moist, rich, fertile soils. Plants will tolerate hot, humid summers and drought. Plants are best sited in locations protected from strong winds. Divide clumps as needed (every 2-3 years) to maintain the vitality of the planting. Plants slowly spread by rhizomes and can naturalize into colonies over time.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Achillea ptarmica, commonly called sneezewort or sneezeweed, is a rhizomatous perennial featuring loose corymbs of small white flowers which bloom throughout summer on plants clad with sessile, linear to lanceolate, finely toothed leaves that are aromatic when crushed. Species plants are native to Europe and western Asia.
The genus name Achillea refers to Achilles, hero of the Trojan Wars in Greek mythology, who used the plant medicinally to stop bleeding and to heal the wounds of his soldiers.
Specific epithet is from Greek and refers to plants which caused sneezing.
'Gipi Whit', commonly marketed under the trade name of GYPSY WHITE, is a patented cultivar that features an abundant summer bloom of white double flowers on compact plants which grow in a mound to only 14" tall but spread to as much as 24" wide. This cultivar was selected in August 2003 from a controlled planting of Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl' (The Pearl Group) in Gilroy, California. U.S. Plant Patent PP18,120 was issued on October 9, 2007.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Does poorly in wet sites or in heavy, poorly-drained soils. Stem rot, powdery mildew and rust are occasional disease problems. Strong summer rain storms with high winds can damage exposed plantings. If stems flop or become matted, they can be cut back.
Uses
Group or mass in borders, cottage gardens, wild gardens, naturalized areas or meadows. Good for low-maintenance areas.