Achillea ptarmica Marshmallow seeds - Sneezewort

Achillea ptarmica 'Marshmallow' is a hardy perennial derived from the wild sneezewort yarrow, selected for its double white flowers that bloom from June to September. Well-branched, it forms light, airy white clouds at the base of roses or in perennial borders. In a vase, it brings that sought-after "misty" touch often associated with baby's breath, which it surpasses in terms of hardiness and tolerance to slightly heavy soils. This selection can flower from the first year.

Pelleted seeds are seeds coated with a fine layer of neutral material, giving them bulk. They are much easier to handle and sow individually, improving sowing accuracy, reducing waste, and resulting in more uniform germination than standard very fine seeds.

This yarrow belongs to the Asteraceae family. The species Achillea ptarmica, commonly known as sneezewort, sneezeweed yarrow, marsh yarrow, pearl buttons, fair-maid-of-France, or sneeze herb, is a Eurasian perennial of damp meadows and ditches. It is found from the Atlantic (France, Spain, British Isles) to northern Europe and Russia, eastwards to Kamchatka, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and Japan. It is a rhizomatous perennial: a creeping woody rootstock sends up numerous erect stems each year, clothed in narrow, lanceolate, finely toothed, bright to dark green leaves about 4 to 8cm long. The flowers are 1 to 2cm diameter heads, grouped in loose clusters; in 'Marshmallow', the ray florets are multiplied, forming small, very double, perfectly round spheres, pure white with a slightly creamy centre. This nectar-rich flowering attracts bees and pollinators. The foliage is deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on the climate: it dies back in harsh winters, then regrows vigorously in spring. The plant reaches an average height of 60cm and a spread of 50cm.
'Marshmallow' is a recent horticultural introduction, from the FastraX Perennials breeding programme of the seed company Benary, specialising in perennial seeds capable of flowering in the first year without a cold period (vernalisation).

In the garden, Achillea ptarmica 'Marshmallow' can be used in border edges or large containers, where its light, white flowers act as a link between more colourful perennials. This plant for moist ground thrives near a pond or in slightly damp areas of the garden. Its white pom-poms pair beautifully with the umbels of masterwort Astrantia major 'Roma', the tall, flexible spikes of mountain fleece Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Blackfield', the pink spikes of Veronicastrum virginicum Kleine Erika, or the bright clumps of Carex elata 'Aurea'.

The "sneeze herb" owes its name to the old practice of using its dried, powdered parts. It was taken as snuff, like tobacco, to induce sneezing and, it was thought, to relieve migraines and head ailments; in Acadian cuisine, its young leaves were also used as a condiment.