The other day a news story caught my attention, not because of the novelty of the information, interesting of course, but above all because of the medium in which this news was circulating. The Argentinian newspaper Clarín published a story titled “Contemporary Garden, Paradigm Shift”.
The story referred to new trends in garden design, the influence of this new garden conception championed by French landscape architect Gilles Clément, and the search for outdoor spaces that, in addition to promoting biodiversity, require less dedication for proper maintenance.
These approaches are very interesting, although not so new for professionals in the sector, but the importance of this news appearing in a mass media outlet aimed at the general public should not be underestimated, so that the population begins to become aware of the importance and possibilities of the garden.
Thinking about this garden concept, a plant that would fit perfectly in this type of garden would be Achillea millefolium “Red Velvet”:
Achillea millefolium is a perennial and rhizomatous herbaceous plant, native to Europe. Its name refers to its medicinal properties, as Achillea refers to Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War in Greek mythology, who used this plant to stop bleeding and heal the wounds of his soldiers.
It is characterized by its feathery, deeply divided leaves, similar to those of ferns and aromatic. The name millefolium, which means a thousand leaves, refers to them.
This variety in full development reaches a height of about 60cm and a width of around 40cm. Its habit is that of a compact low clump.
Its flowering lasts from early summer to early autumn, with its characteristic corymbs that appear at the tips of the stems. In this cultivar, the small flowers characteristic of this genus have a color between pink and red that stands out strongly against the foliage.
It grows correctly both in full sun and under light shade. It is fast-growing and its cultivation does not present significant difficulties.
It likes poor soils but preferably well-drained and has high drought resistance, although it likes frequent watering but in small doses.
It has good cold tolerance, being resistant to moderate frosts, down to -15ºC. It is resistant to common garden pests and diseases, although occasionally, depending on conditions, it may present some fungal problem.
Once flowering is finished, in late autumn, it is advisable to reduce the plants to their basal foliage, and it is recommended to divide the clumps every 2-3 years to maintain good plant vitality.
The plant may have a certain tendency for stems to flop, which occurs mainly in warm and humid places, especially if the soil is rich in organic matter. In this regard, it is advisable to prune the stems in late spring, before flowering, to reduce the total height of the plant.
In windy locations, it is advisable to place it in a sheltered location.
It is a good plant both for cut flowers and for preparing dried flowers. It is suitable for growing in pots. And its flowers are especially attractive to butterflies.
At Sala Graupera, in addition to A. millefolium “Red Velvet” we can also find other Achillea with interesting characteristics such as: