The Herb Society spoke to Corporate Member John Cullen, of John Cullen Gardens, about their National Collection of Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) and why he loves this plant.

Why Achillea – what attracted you to this plant?

John was initially attracted to Achillea whilst he and his husband were garden designers in North London. Achillea was a plant that they always used because most people who had gardens designed requested a low maintenance garden. John says that Achillea is low maintenance, good for novice gardeners and once established only needs a little bit of TLC.

Which came first, the growing of various Achillea or wanting to have the status of holding a National Plant Collection?

John says that they did not plan on obtaining National Plant status. Everything at their company has tended to happen organically (no pun intended!), and whilst creating displays for RHS and other shows, they would try to create displays for pollinators, often including Achillea as it gave displays a lovely wild and naturalistic feel. 

The Achilleas always garnered a lot of attention, and Plant Heritage approached John and Hugh about taking on a National Collection. Achillea was at the top of the Plant Heritage wish list for plants, and John felt that he had a synergy with the plant, and experience growing it from both seed and divisions. 

Do you use Achillea medicinally?

John credits Kate Huet, Herb Society Chairperson, with introducing him to the styptic  properties of Achillea, which works as an excellent coagulant on cuts and scrapes. He now keeps a pot of dried Achillea to apply to any wounds sustained whilst working in the garden.

Can you explain the differences in the varieties and subspecies?

John explained that yellow varieties of Achillea tend to come into flower first, which is why John Cullen Gardens created a display of yellow Achillea for RHS Chelsea 2023 (for which they were awarded a silver medal). John thinks there is a correlation between Achillea flower colour and time of flowering, with darker coloured-varieties flowering later. Yellow-coloured Achillea flowers tend to have a longer flowering period compared to their darker counterparts, as they tend to still be in flower when darker varieties appear. They also find that any varieties with silvery-grey foliage seem to have a stronger growth habit, such as ‘Moonshine’, ‘Little Moonshine’, ‘Sassy Summer Lemon’,  ‘Sassy Summer Silver’ and ‘Walter Funcke’.

Do you know if a cultivar can be used medicinally?

John mentioned that any plant that has been hybridised will be weakened in medicinal value, and he would always point people back in the direction of the wild Achillea millefolium or Achillea ptarmica (Sneezewort) to use medicinally.

John likes to use the different coloured Achillea flowers aesthetically in cooking and entertaining. He says that the flowers have a very-mild peppery flavour, although this is very faint, and the flowers work best as a garnish.  He recommends using the colourful flowers in ice cubes, as a stunning addition to beverages at parties. 

Why should people grow Achillea?

John loves growing Achillea because it fits into all types of planting plans in a garden. Achillea could look great in prairie planting, in a cottage garden, or in pots and window boxes. It’s an easy plant to grow and seems to work well with any type of garden design. It also makes great cut or dried flowers. 

Thank you very much to John for taking the time to speak to us about this fantastic plant!

Find our more about John Cullen Gardens on our Corporate Members page https://herbsociety.org.uk/corporate-members 

John Cullen Gardens is a Corporate Member of The Herb Society – your organisation can be too!!

Corporate Member benefits include:

🌿Product promotion to Herb Society members with opportunity to offer members’ discount

🌿Listing on our Corporate members online page

🌿A banner advert in one Herbs magazine per year 

🌿Free listing in each magazine’s Directory

🌿Free Event listing on our website 

🌿Opportunities to contribute to Herbs magazine and monthly e-newsletters

🌿3 issues of the Herbs magazine delivered to your door each year

If you would like to become a Corporate Membership, please visit our membership page at https://herbsociety.org.uk/product/annual-membership