It’s easy to grow your own flowers from seed. Here’s beautiful flowers, growing information & seed collections for gifts.
COUNTRY GARDEN SEED SHOP
Achillea millefolium 'Summer Pastels'
Achillea millefolium 'Summer Pastels' Seeds
Perennial Achillea are vigorous plants with strong stems, soft grey/green ferny foliage and plenty of beautiful flat topped flowers. As their name suggests Summer Pastels has blooms in pastel shades of pink and lilac, lemon and white. Flowers are striking in the garden where their colour and form provide contrast to the more usual mounds and spires of summer flowers. Excellent for wildlife. Attracts Bees, Butterflies and Ladybirds. Excellent Cut Flower.
Achillea are brilliant plants for beginners because they are very easy to grow and super productive giving you an excellent show in the garden and masses of flowers for picking. What's more they are perennial. Cut the stems and foliage back after flowering (either in autumn or spring), give them a good mulch of organic matter and they'll regrow to flower again next year.
| Genus | Achillea millefolium |
| Variety | Summer Pastels |
| Plant Type | Hardy Perennial. Cut Flower. |
| Height & Spread | 60cm tall x 60 cm wide (2 feet tall x 2 feet) |
| Sow Seeds | Sow on the surface of compost indoors January - July. Needs light to germinate. At 18°C to 21°C Achillea will germinate in 10 to 14 days. Allow seedlings to grow until well established then pot on into 9cm pots and grow on until it's warm outdoors. |
| Plant Out | Plant out after the last frosts from May onwards. Once plants are established they are hardy all year round to minus 15°C. |
| Conditions Required | Achillea prefers well drained soil and a sunny spot. They will also grow in dappled shade and tolerate poor soil conditions. Water thoroughly in dry spells. |
| Flower Production | Masses of blooms produced from July to September or even October. Achillea often flowers in the first year four months after sowing the seeds. Deadhead and feed regularly to keep the flowers going. |
| Picking | For cut flowers pick regularly to encourage repeat flowering. It's best to pick early in the morning or in the cool evening and stand them in deep water for a few hours before arranging. Long lasting cut flower and can be dried too. |
| Planting Combinations | Achillea are some of the best perennial flowers that you can grow. You will be amazed at how many flowers are produced. They make a great show on their own and with other summer flowering perennials and shrub roses in a traditional herbaceous border. |