Yarrow plants were first planted at the Butterfly Garden in fall of 2020. The idea was to get a head start on establishing some plants by spring. The yarrow looked gorgeous then with its light, feathery leaves in the liveliest shade of green. As winter progressed, all the other perennials withered away. The mexican sage, milkweed, skullcaps, lantana, dwarf mexican petunias, blue mistflower, wedelia... all went dormant as expected. What no one could have predicted, however, was the winter storm of February 2021!
The extreme weather wreaked havoc on many of our region's established plants. It also kept FIG volunteers from the garden for quite a while. Imagine the surprise when, through the snow cover over the garden, the yarrow's vivid green leaves gleamed like a beacon. We were in awe of how this plant seemed completely unfazed by the unrelenting freeze.
In the weeks of melting after, the yarrow only grew heartier and eventually put out amazing white blooms, fragrant and attractive to the pollinators around. After the blooms faded in the summer heat, we cut the yarrow back. There was a stretch of a few weeks when rain was scarce and the irrigation had not kicked in yet. The strain became visible on many of the plants in the garden, however the yarrow remained unaffected.
The yarrow remains fragrant and hearty till today, through extreme cold and heat. Hence, the yarrow of the Butterfly Garden is an undispute superstar!
Thank you for sharing. This is fantastic.
🦋 Annette