Yarrow 'Cerise Queen'
Achillea millefolium 'Cerise Queen' · Asteraceae
An old, reliable yarrow with flat heads of bright cherry-pink flowers over ferny, aromatic leaves from early summer.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Mid June to late August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around yarrow 'Cerise Queen'
The planner designed this bed around yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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 yarrow 'Cerise Queen' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Yarrow 'Cerise Queen' × 3, pink
- 2 Yellow ice plant × 11, yellow
- 3 October daphne × 7, pink
- 4 Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' × 3, tan
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 3, purple
- 8 Tulip 'Lilac Wonder' × 12, pink
Why this plant
- The only flat plates. The others are daisies, dense clusters, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- At the back. At 24 in it is seen over yellow ice plant (2 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' (2½ ft) and brown-eyed Susan (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 11 weeks. From mid June to late August.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 3 of the 5 groups (60%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink and purple) and uses yellow for warmth, with tan to calm things between them. Pink is the colour seen most, on 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers.
The planner's own design check: 15 Excellent, 2 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 yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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.
The strongest pink among the yarrows, best beside silver leaves and blue flowers. It runs in rich soil, so grow it lean and dry, where it stays upright and compact.
- Cottage borders in poor soil
- Butterfly planting
- Cutting
What to plant with yarrow 'Cerise Queen'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lamb's ear: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': in flower together for 11 weeks, from mid June; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue oat grass: in flower together for four weeks, from mid June; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about yarrow 'Cerise Queen'
Does yarrow 'Cerise Queen' need sun or shade?
Yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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 yarrow 'Cerise Queen' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid 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 | Mid June to late August |
| Zone 6 | Mid June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Early June to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Early June to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Late May 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 yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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 yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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 yarrow 'Cerise Queen' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and drooling in pets if eaten. The sap may irritate sensitive skin.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like yarrow 'Cerise Queen'?
These come closest to doing what yarrow 'Cerise Queen' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Tennessee coneflower: the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour.
- Musk mallow: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 6 in taller, wants average soil.
- Red valerian: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 6 in taller, medium leaves, not fine.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat yarrow 'Cerise Queen'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will yarrow 'Cerise Queen' spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by creeping roots, fastest in rich or moist soil. Divide it every three years.
What flowers after yarrow 'Cerise Queen'?
Yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
- Autumn moor grass: from mid August to early October, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does yarrow 'Cerise Queen' look like in winter?
Yarrow 'Cerise Queen' 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.
Is yarrow 'Cerise Queen' good for bees and butterflies?
Yarrow 'Cerise Queen' is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Achillea
- Fernleaf yarrow 'Cloth of Gold' Achillea filipendulina 'Cloth of Gold'
- Fernleaf yarrow 'Coronation Gold' Achillea 'Coronation Gold'
- Sneezewort 'The Pearl' Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl'
- Woolly yarrow Achillea tomentosa
- Yarrow Achillea millefolium
- Yarrow 'Moonshine' Achillea 'Moonshine'
- Yarrow 'Paprika' Achillea millefolium 'Paprika'
- Yarrow 'Terracotta' Achillea 'Terracotta'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
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
- Mid June to late August; flat plates; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Europe, western Asia, North America
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies, beneficial insects
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, heat, humidity, salt, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and 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.