Red Yarrow Seeds

Germination

• Most native yarrow species, including the native red-blooming types, germinate easily from seeds. Certain hybrid yarrow varieties, including those bred for red blooms, don't have as high a chance for success when grown from seeds. Yarrow seeds germinate best in full sun with lightly moist, well-draining soil and only the barest cover of light soil.

Availability

• While some varieties of red-blooming yarrow are available on the market as seed, some hybrids have such poor germination rates that they are not available from seed. Seeds from hybrid red yarrow plants already in the garden may not germinate true to the parent plant, or the red color may not be as vivid in the second generation. Seeds from common, red-blooming yarrow (Achillea millefolium varieties) are vigorous enough up to U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zone 3 that they can become invasive, and are readily available.

Alternatives

• When seeds are not available for a certain red-blooming variety of yarrow, it is likely that transplants are. Transplants are more uniform in color and size as they grow than red yarrow plants produced from seeds. Dividing an existing red-blooming yarrow yields transplants that are identical to the parent plant.

Sources

• Red yarrow seeds may be available at garden centers, from local wildflower centers or wildflower seed producers. Alternately, many catalogs and online seed producers sell red yarrow seeds and are usually listed by the zones to which they are adapted. Reputable seed companies provide seeds with the best viability.