Fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold'
Achillea 'Coronation Gold' · Asteraceae
Tall stems carry wide, mustard-gold flower plates above grey-green ferny leaves all summer. The heads dry on the plant and hold their colour.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to late August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold'
The planner designed this bed around fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' × 3, yellow
- 2 Winter heath × 4, pink
- 3 Sea thrift × 5, white
- 4 New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' × 4, pink
- 5 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 6 Yarrow 'Paprika' × 3, red
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only yellow.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 10 weeks. From late June to late August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With yarrow 'Paprika' in late June: 2 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 3 of the 5 groups (60%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cool colours (pink, purple and blue) with yellow and red as the warm notes, and white to calm things between them. Silver sage, sea thrift and winter heath finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Its broad, flat heads are the boldest horizontal shape among summer perennials, so place it beside vertical plants such as Russian sage or blazing star. Strong gold needs blue or purple neighbours to cool it.
- Strong gold for the middle of a sunny border
- Dried flowers
- Hot, dry sites
What to plant with fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Russian sage: in flower together for seven weeks, from mid July; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blazing star: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for six weeks.
- Salvia 'May Night': purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for four weeks.
Questions about fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold'
Does fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' need sun or shade?
Fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Late June to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 5 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 6 | Late June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Mid June to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Mid June to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Early June to early August |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.
Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold'?
These come closest to doing what fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Prairie coreopsis: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in shorter, 6 in narrower.
- False sunflower 'Summer Sun': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 4 in narrower, medium leaves, not fine.
- Autumn sage: the same job in a bed; 6 in shorter, flowers mid May to mid October.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold'?
Fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Blue mistflower: from late August to mid October, 2½ ft tall.
What does fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' look like in winter?
Fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Achillea
- Fernleaf yarrow 'Cloth of Gold' Achillea filipendulina 'Cloth of Gold'
- Sneezewort 'The Pearl' Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl'
- Woolly yarrow Achillea tomentosa
- Yarrow Achillea millefolium
- Yarrow 'Cerise Queen' Achillea millefolium 'Cerise Queen'
- Yarrow 'Moonshine' Achillea 'Moonshine'
- Yarrow 'Paprika' Achillea millefolium 'Paprika'
- Yarrow 'Terracotta' Achillea 'Terracotta'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to late August; flat plates; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; grey-green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.