Sneezewort 'The Pearl'
Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl' ·
Sprays of small, double, pure white buttons from June to August, like a perennial baby's breath. It spreads by runners in moist soil.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late June to mid August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around sneezewort 'The Pearl'
The planner designed this bed around sneezewort 'The Pearl' 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 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why sneezewort 'The Pearl' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Sneezewort 'The Pearl' × 3, white
- 2 Winter heath × 6, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 14, yellow
- 4 Sneezeweed × 4, orange
- 5 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The only airy sprays. The others are bells, daisies, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' (8 in) in front and sneezeweed (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to sneezeweed (4 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 9 weeks. From late June to mid August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With sneezeweed and wild quinine in early August: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 50 to 50, left to right. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is planted in four places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 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 sneezewort 'The Pearl' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
White buttons cool down and separate the hot colours of midsummer. It flops and runs, so plant it among sturdier neighbours that will hold it up and hem it in.
- White filler between stronger colours
- Cut flowers
- Cottage gardens
What to plant with sneezewort 'The Pearl'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Garden phlox: in flower together for five weeks, from mid July; tall enough (3½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Bee balm: in flower together for six weeks, from early July; happy in the same moist soil.
- Daylily: in flower together for seven weeks, from late June.
Questions about sneezewort 'The Pearl'
Does sneezewort 'The Pearl' need sun or shade?
Sneezewort 'The Pearl' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does sneezewort 'The Pearl' 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 sneezewort 'The Pearl' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to mid 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 mid August |
| Zone 6 | Late June to mid August |
| Zone 7 | Mid June to early August |
| Zone 8 | Mid June to early 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 sneezewort 'The Pearl' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many sneezewort 'The Pearl' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 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 sneezewort 'The Pearl' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.
Is there a pet-safe plant like sneezewort 'The Pearl'?
These come closest to doing what sneezewort 'The Pearl' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Musk mallow: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 6 in taller, wants average soil.
- Obedient plant 'Miss Manners': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers mid July to early September, medium leaves, not fine.
- Slender mountain mint: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 6 in taller, wants average soil.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will sneezewort 'The Pearl' spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by underground runners and can crowd its neighbours. Dig out the edges or divide every 2 to 3 years.
What flowers after sneezewort 'The Pearl'?
Sneezewort 'The Pearl' is over by mid August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
What does sneezewort 'The Pearl' look like in winter?
Sneezewort 'The Pearl' 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'
- Fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' Achillea 'Coronation Gold'
- 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
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to mid August; airy sprays; white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.