Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Silvery Yarrow bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Silvery Yarrow, Clavenna's Yarrow, White Yarrow (Achillea clavennae).

More about silvery yarrow

About Silvery Yarrow

Achillea clavennae · also called Silvery Yarrow, Clavenna's Yarrow · flowering

Achillea clavennae is a low-growing alpine yarrow from the limestone mountains of central and southern Europe, forming silvery-white, finely dissected foliage mats topped with small white daisy-like flowerheads from early to midsummer. Extremely drought and heat tolerant once established, it is ideal for dry rock gardens, gravel gardens, and sunny alpine troughs.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Spreading too aggressively: While more restrained than many yarrows, A. clavennae spreads by rhizomes and can outgrow its allotted space in loose, open soil. Divide every 2–3 years in spring to maintain a tidy clump and rejuvenate flowering. Excess runners can be pulled away and replanted.

The reasons silvery yarrow isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming silvery yarrow traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding silvery yarrow a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get silvery yarrow to flower

Maximise sun. Give silvery yarrow the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for silvery yarrow and get the feeding right with the silvery yarrow fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Silvery Yarrow flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full silvery yarrow care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Silvery Yarrow blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my silvery yarrow flower?

Silvery Yarrow blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make silvery yarrow bloom?

Give silvery yarrow the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does silvery yarrow normally bloom?