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Products > Achillea 'Moonshine'
 
Achillea 'Moonshine' - Fern Leaf Yarrow

Note: This plant is no longer in stock. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.  
Image of Achillea 'Moonshine'
[2nd Image]
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Perennial
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflowers)
Origin: Garden Origin
Flower Color: Yellow
Bloomtime: Spring/Summer
Parentage: (A. clypeolata x A. 'Taygetea')
Height: 1-2 feet
Width: 2-3 feet
Exposure: Full Sun
Summer Dry: Yes
Deer Tolerant: Yes
Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: < 0 °F
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. 

Information displayed on this page about Achillea 'Moonshine' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.

 
San Marcos Growers closed for regular business at the end of 2025 as the property is being developed for affordable housing.
While our gates remain closed, we will open them by appointment so we can liquidate remaining plants, supplies and equipment. The plants remaining in the field are listed on our Live Inventory Page.