Achillea 'Moonshine'
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Tried and True Recommended by 12 Professionals
Common Name: yarrow
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Garden Location: Kemper Low Maintenance Garden
Height: 1 to 2 feet
Spread: 0.75 to 1 feet
Bloom Time: June to September
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Description: Bright yellow
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Leaves: Fragrant
Tolerates: Dry Soil, Drought, Deer
Uses: Cut Flower, Dried Flower

Culture

Best grown in lean, dry to medium moisture, well-drained sandy loams in full sun. Does well in average garden soils and tolerates poor soils as long as drainage is good. Avoid heavy clays and moist, rich, fertile soils. Plants are best sited in locations protected from strong winds. May need staking or other support. Deadhead spent flower heads to lateral buds to promote additional bloom. Cut plants back to basal leaves after flowering to tidy the planting and to encourage new foliage growth with a possible additional fall bloom. 'Moonshine' is susceptible to a number of foliar diseases and tends to melt out by mid to late summer in hot and humid southern climates including St. Louis. Divide clumps as needed (every 2-3 years) to reinvigorate plantings.

Noteworthy Characteristics

'Moonshine' (A. clypeolata x A. 'Taygetea') is an upright, clump-forming, compact hybrid yarrow which is noted for its deeply-dissected, fern-like, aromatic, silvery to gray-green foliage and its tiny, long-lasting, bright lemon-yellow flowers which appear in dense, flattened, compound corymbs (to 2-3" across) throughout the summer on stiff, erect stems typically rising 1-2' tall. This plant resembles A. 'Coronation Gold' except it is much smaller and the flowers are a lighter yellow.

Problems

Botrytis, stem rot, root rot, powdery mildew and rust can be significant disease problems. Plant foliage tends to decline considerably by mid summer in hot and humid summer climates. May not need staking if given proper culture, though strong summer rain storms with high winds can flatten exposed plantings.

Garden Uses

Specimen, group or mass. Borders. Cottage gardens.

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