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A. 'Paprika' habit

A. 'Paprika' flower

A. 'Terra Cotta' habit

A. 'Terra Cotta' flowers turn from peach to dark orange

Unlike most millefolia cultivars, A. 'Summer Pastels' starts well from seed

A. 'Colorado' habit

A. 'Colorado' flower

Achillea hybrid (millefolium x 'Taygetea') 'Walter Funke'

A. 'Walter Funke' flower

Asteraceae

Fairly tenacious and fast growing, A. millefolium has dark green foliage and profuse flowers that bloom in myriad colors. Cultivated in Europe before 1440, according to Allan Armitage, A. millefolium often was used as a medicine for toothache and to heal wounds.

Plant Type: perennial

Plant Form or Habit: upright/vertical

Plant Use: Beds, borders, grouped, as cut flowers, as dried flowers

Propagation:

division

Flower Color:

red
dark red
orange
yellow
purple
violet
lavender
pink
white

Bloom Period:

early summer
mid-summer

Width: Minimum: 12 inches     Maximum: 24 inches

Foliage Texture: fine

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4

Water Requirements: average

Additional Comments: 'Summer Pastels' (shown above), 'Terra Cotta,' 'Paprika,' and 'Colorado' are four cultivars that grew well at Blue Grass Lane and bloomed from early June through late July. 'Summer Pastels' is cultivated successfully from seed, but the others are best divided. 'Walter Funke' is a nice hybrid cross of the A. x 'Taygetea' hybrid and A. millefolium species; flower heads are supposed to be larger and stems stronger than straight millefolium species.