About this cultivar: Achillea 'Summerwine' is a perennial with divided, dark green leaves and pink-white-eyed, crimson flowers in loose, flattened heads which fade to buff-pink. Raised by famous Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf according to the RHS or a German Galaxy Hybrid according to Missouri Botanical Garden. Make your own mind up. It won the RHS AGM in 1999. Position: Full sun, partial shade Soil: Almost any soil that is reasonably well drained- grows well in Ballyrobert! Flowers: May, June, July, August Other features: Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM), Cut Flowers or Dried Flowers Hardiness: H7 - Hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert! Habit: Bushy Foliage: Semi evergreen Height: 60 to 75 cm (2 - 2.5 ft) Spread: 45 to 60 cm (1.5 - 2 ft) Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial Colour: Red, green, pink Goes well with: Most grasses and prairie style plants, Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldschleier', Salvia × sylvestris 'Mainacht', Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', Echinacea 'Tomato Soup', Echinacea purpurea 'Razzmatazz', Stipa tenuissima About this genus: Achillea, commonly called common yarrow, is a rhizomatous, spreading, upright to mat-forming perennial. Achillea is in reference 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. Often garden Achillea are members of the millefolium species. The specific epithet of millefolium means thousand-leaved in reference to the foliage being more intense than other Achillea. Achillea has a plethora of additional common names, including milfoil, thousandleaf, soldier’s woundwort, bloodwort, nose bleed, devil’s nettle, sanguinary, old-man’s-pepper and stenchgrass. Yarrow ale was a popular choice for weddings because of its tendency to increase energy, act as an aphrodisiac and generally “make the guests crazy.” At Ballyrobert we use it solely for gardening purposes..... honestly. There are many cultivars of Achillea in a variety of colours. It prefers to be grown in most soils that are reasonably well drained. Achillea is another versatile plant in the garden at Ballyrobert; it looks great with all sorts of grasses and prairie style plants but the fern-like foliage and cow-parsley type flower heads also help it blend with some woodland or cottage style plants. When it dies back for the year Achillea dries out fully and gives great structure to the garden - it is often used for dry flowers and flower arranging.
