VANDERMEER
PLANT LIBRARY
Find the perfect plant for your space by browsing through this extensive selection that we typically carry every year.
This library is for information purposes only.
Peter Cottontail Yarrow
Achillea ptarmica 'Peter Cottontail'
Plant Height: 18 inches
Flower Height: 24 inches
Spread: 30 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3a
Brand: Walters Gardens
Description:
Masses of double white blooms fill the plant all summer, with a look reminiscent of Baby's Breath, over a low, mounding habit of green foliage; low maintenance and easy to grow; a great addition to the garden or containers
Ornamental Features
Peter Cottontail Yarrow is smothered in stunning balls of white flowers at the ends of the stems from early summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its narrow leaves remain dark green in colour throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Peter Cottontail Yarrow is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.
This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;
- Spreading
- Self-Seeding
Peter Cottontail Yarrow is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Groundcover
- Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Peter Cottontail Yarrow will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 30 inches. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Peter Cottontail Yarrow is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.