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Achillea 'Moonshine' (Fern Leaf Yarrow) - A herbaceous perennial that forms 18 to 24 inch wide clumps of finely dissected gray-green foliage. In late spring through summer the lemon-yellow flower heads rise on straight stalks 18 to 24 inches above the foliage - in mild coastal California the flowers are often present from mid spring until October.
This plant thrives in full sun, with reasonable drainage and moderate to occasional summer water. Hardy to below 0 degrees F (to USDA zone 3). This is one of the best garden perennials and is great for cut flowers, either fresh or dried and a good nectar source for butterflies. Deadhead flowers to promote prolonged flowering and cut back to basal foliage in fall to tidy up the plant.
This old favorite is considered to be a hybrid between Achillea clypeolata and A. 'Taygetea' (an old illegitimate name that possibly refers to A. taygetea which is a synonym for A. aegyptiaca var. taygetea) and was introduced by Alan Bloom in the 1950's. This plant received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993. We have grown 'Moonshine' since 1988 and feel it is one of the best and most durable of the Yarrow plants.
The information displayed on this page about Achillea 'Moonshine' is based on the research we conducted about it in our nursery horticultural library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include some of our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.
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