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Achillea millefolium 'Island Pink' (Island Pink Yarrow) - A mat forming semi-evergreen groundcover the spreads by rhizomes with narrow bright green (darkening with age) feather-like aromatic leaves that are finely divided and soft to the touch. In late spring into fall 18- to 24-inch-tall stems rise above the foliage bearing 3 to 4 inch wide flat clusters of small flowers that are a dark rose pink initially and age first to light pink and then to nearly white.
Plant in full to part sun in most any soil type and irrigate occasionally. Hardy to USDA Zone 6 and above. The flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies and the plant is tolerant of a wide range of conditions, including deer, foot traffic, near coastal exposure, alkaline and clay soils. It is a low fuel plant for firesafe plantings and can be mowed for use as a lawn substitute planting.
Though the species is circumboreal (found throughout the northern hemisphere) most garden selections have been made from plants originating from Europe, but this is a truly native selection. Most other native selections are white, but this one has rich pink flowers. The name Achillea was named for the Greek mythological character Achilles, who in Homer's Iliad was a student of the centaur Chiron, known for his great knowledge of medicine. Achilles' soldiers in the battle against Troy used yarrow to treat wounds garnering the plant herbal fame and giving it common names such as allheal and bloodwort. Legend had it that the plant sprung from Achilles spear. The specific epithet millefolium means "thousand-leaf" in reference to its fern-like foliage.
We first sourced Achillea millefolium 'Island Pink' from Suncrest Nurseries. Nevin Smith at that nurser originally received the plant in the 1980s from the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and was informed it was a plant collected on Santa Cruz Island, the largest island of the of the eight islands in the Santa Barbara Channel Island archipelago. This plant is also sometimes listed as 'Pink Island Form' and the species as Achillea borealis ssp. californica.
This information about Achillea millefolium 'Island Pink' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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