Achillea filipendulina Helios

The Achillea filipendulina 'Helios' is a medium-sized yarrow, producing numerous flowers from July to September in a soft golden yellow. Throughout the summer, braving the heat, its flat umbel flower head towers over a beautiful clump of delicately cut silver-green leaves. Vigorous and hardy, this water-efficient perennial plant is stunning in a wild garden as well as in fresh or dried bouquets. Simply provide it with well-drained, moist or even dry soil in summer, and a very sunny to partially shaded exposure.

Achillea filipendulina, also known as Fernleaf Yarrow or Filipendula Yarrow, is a rhizomatous perennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. Its distribution range extends over a vast area of central and southwestern Asia (Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Caucasus). This highly adaptable species is also naturalised in Europe and North America.

The 'Helios' cultivar is a long-lived perennial, bred by Pagels. It will quickly reach a height of 70 cm when in bloom, spreading over 50 cm. The flower head is a slightly rounded corymb. The abundant and highly nectar-rich flowering period extends from July to September. The flowers are made up of small globular clusters called corymbs that are densely arranged together, giving the flower a chunky appearance. These heads, which appear at the tops of very rigid stems, are a soft golden yellow. The flowers give rise to fruits called achenes. The stem of the plant has an angular shape, with channels running along it and covered in fine, soft hairs. The foliage is evergreen or semi-evergreen depending on the climate, rough and downy, aromatic and deeply cut into fine strips. The leaves are lobed, feather-like, and are a slightly greyish green colour.

All yarrows love the sun and have excellent hardiness. The 'Helios' Yarrow will blend well in a country-style bed, a large rockery, or on a slope where it will contribute to fixing and protecting against erosion. It pairs well with sun-loving perennials, as well as with red or vibrant blue flowers found in crocosmias, campanulas, asters, groundcover roses, and perennial delphiniums. The silver colour of its foliage stands out even more when accompanied by plants with dark and golden colours such as 'Lilla' Smoke Bushes, stipas, and heucheras. In dry soil, it can be paired with echinaceas, Buenos Aires verbenas, shrubby salvias, Gaura, Caryopteris, 'Valerie Finnis' wormwood, and large thistles. Once well-established, it is very drought-resistant, making it suitable for pairing with lavender, rockroses, and rosemary in rocky soil. The horizontal accent of its large flat flower heads contrasts beautifully with more slender, upright plants like Russian sages and star-shaped flowers of daylilies.

As per Pliny, a Roman naturalist from the first century AD, the plant's name is derived from Achilles, a hero of Greek mythology, who used it to heal his wounds. The healing properties of this plant were discovered by Achilles during the Trojan War, when he was advised by Venus to treat his wound with it. In reality, the plant has medicinal properties such as hemostatic, which stops bleeding, the leaves have healing properties, and the flowers have a stimulating, tonic, and fever-reducing effect. The young shoots of this plant can also be used in omelettes or salads.