Achillea millefolium Red Velvet

Achillea millefolium 'Red Velvet', also known as Yarrow or Milfoil, is a recent variety distinguished by its rich velvet red flowering, which does not fade. The flowers are long-lasting and bloom throughout the summer. The light, feathery, dark green foliage is abundant, fragrant, and deciduous or semi-evergreen. It is an ideal perennial for colonizing difficult slopes and wild areas of the garden. Exuberant and undemanding, this plant adds a nostalgic charm to unpretentious flower beds. Easy to grow in all regions.

Achillea millefolium 'Red Velvet' is a stoloniferous perennial plant that forms compact and upright clumps from spring onwards. It belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is one of the many cultivars of Achillea millefolium, native to Europe and Asia Minor. The plant reaches a height of 60 cm (24in) when in flower, with foliage measuring 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8in). It spreads over 60 cm (24in) or more. The inflorescence is a flat corymb, 10 cm (4in) in diameter. The remarkably long flowering period extends from June to October. The flowers are actually heads, with tubular and intensely red florets in the central disk, while the peripheral florets are ligulate and also red. These heads, which appear at the top of the stems, form flattened or slightly rounded corymbs. They give rise to fruits called achenes. The stem is channelled and villous. The foliage is deciduous or semi-evergreen, aromatic, and finely divided into strips. The leaves are pinnatilobate, feathery, and dark green in colour, with a matte texture. This plant spreads along the soil surface through stolons, allowing it to colonize large areas.

Achillea millefolium 'Red Velvet' will integrate well into a rock garden, at the top of a wall, as a border, or on a slope where it will help stabilize and protect against erosion. This stoloniferous plant can also be used as ground cover over large areas, eliminating the need for mowing in low-traffic zones. It can tolerate competition from tree roots, making it a good ground cover choice for woodland edges. Because it is easy to grow and drought-tolerant, it is perfect for planting under shrub roses or bordering a sunny flower bed.

According to Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist from the first century AD, its name comes from Achilles, a hero of Greek mythology, who used it to heal wounds. Achilles supposedly discovered the healing properties of this plant during the Trojan War, when he treated a wound following the advice of Venus.

In fact, the plant has recognized medicinal properties: it is a haemostatic, the leaves have healing properties, and the flowers have stimulating and tonic effects, as well as being fever-reducing in high concentrations. Its young shoots can be used in omelettes or salads.