Achillea ptarmica Weihenstephan

The Achillea ptarmica 'Weihenstephan', also known as 'Sneezewort', produces bushy and erect plants, taller than the type, disappearing all summer under clusters of dazzling small white flowers. Hardy, this beautiful perennial, appreciates damp places. It will brighten up the edge of a water feature. This elegant plant also works wonders in dried or fresh bouquets.

Achillea ptarmica, also known as Sneezewort or Sneezewort, is a stoloniferous perennial plant of the Asteraceae family, native to Northern Europe. It grows spontaneously in meadows, marshes, and along watercourses. The German cultivar 'Weihenstephan' has an upright clumping habit, reaching about 1.2 m (4ft) in height when in flower, with a span of 60 cm (24in). The flowering, very abundant, extends from July to September. The white flowers with cream-white centres appear at the tops of the stems, forming flat or slightly rounded corymbs, popular with pollinating insects. 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 lanceolate and narrow leaves are dark green. The plant spreads on the surface of the soil through stolons, allowing it to cover large areas.

The Achillea ptarmica 'Weihenstephan' is a stoloniferous plant that can be used as ground cover on large areas, at the edge of woodlands, or by a water feature. It thrives in full sun or partial shade, in a cool and fertile soil, well-drained but tolerant of dry soils once established. Easy to grow, it will blend well in cottage borders, naturalistic gardens, simple gardens, flower beds, meadows, or cut flower arrangements. It will complement scabious, iris, or phlox plants.