Achillea millefolium · Parker's Variety
Flat-topped flower clusters that lacewings and parasitic wasps consider essential. Medicinal perennial that returns year after year. The insectary's deepest anchor.
Flower Profile · Jamie's Garden 2026 · Santa Monica Mountains · 1,170 ft elevation
| Variety | Yarrow, Parker's Variety |
| Species | Achillea millefolium |
| Type | Herbaceous perennial · insectary and medicinal |
| Container | 7+ gal |
| Garden Role | Predatory insect anchor · medicinal herb · perennial structure |
Parker's Variety is a selection of Achillea millefolium known for its strong, upright stems and large, dense flat-topped flower clusters — the architecture that makes yarrow so effective as an insectary plant. The flat-top flower structure provides a landing platform for parasitic wasps, lacewings, and predatory beetles that are less able to access the dome-shaped or trumpet-shaped flowers preferred by bees.
As a perennial, yarrow returns each season and spreads gradually, becoming a permanent insectary presence in the garden over time. The feathery aromatic foliage also contributes to the scent layer that disrupts pest navigation. The medicinal tradition of yarrow stretches back thousands of years across multiple cultures.
Yarrow is unique in the insectary system for its specific attraction of predatory and parasitic insects — not just pollinators. The flat flower architecture allows insects with short mouthparts and weak flight that cannot access other flower types to land and feed. These insects — parasitic wasps, lacewings, predatory beetles — are the primary natural control for garden pest populations.
| Habit | Upright · spreading · flat-top flowers |
| Height | 1–3 ft |
| Container | 7+ gal |
| Drought Tolerance | Very good |
| Spread | Increases through rhizomes each season |
| Overwintering | Dies back · returns from roots each spring |
Plant once and maintain indefinitely. Yarrow is drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, and requires minimal intervention. Deadhead spent flower clusters to encourage continued bloom. In containers, the spreading habit is naturally constrained — no need to manage aggressive spread. Divide every 2–3 years to maintain vigor.
Yarrow — Parker's Variety · Jamie's Garden 2026 · Santa Monica Mountains · 1,170 ft
Yarrow is one of the oldest medicinal plants in continuous human use — there is documented evidence of yarrow pollen found with Neanderthal remains at Shanidar Cave in Iraq, suggesting ritual or medicinal use stretching back 60,000 years. Growing yarrow in this garden is growing something with that depth of human relationship.
The insectary function reinforces that choice. A plant this old and this ecologically connected belongs in a garden that is trying to be a living system rather than a collection of pots.
Parker's Variety returns each year. It will be here next season and the season after. In a garden that is documenting its first year, it is useful to know which plants are permanent.
| Variety | Yarrow, Parker's Variety |
| Type | Herbaceous perennial |
| Insectary Role | Predatory and parasitic insect hub |
| Container | 7+ gal |
| Permanence | Returns each year from roots |
| Medicinal | Traditional wound herb · anti-inflammatory |