Paprika Achillea

Spice up your garden beds with the wonderful warm reds of the Paprika Achillea. Tough and easy to grow, this cheerful, no-nonsense plant produces a mat of long, deeply-divided leaves that look fern-like. For a large part of the summer stems up to 2 feet tall grow up, each one topped with a 3-inch flower head of many tiny, dark orange-red flowers with yellow centers. As the flowers age they become pink and then creamy-yellow. The whole plant has an aromatic scent. Happy in any normal to dry soil, this is a plant that actually grows and looks better when in poorer soils – it doesn’t like an easy life. Grow it among other perennials for color contrast, on slopes, banks and in the levels of retaining walls, or in rock gardens, meadows and dry, stony places. It attracts butterflies and other pollinators, and you can cut the stems in flower, hang them upside down to dry, and use them in dry arrangements for the winter months. A fabulous and colorful plant that can find a place in every garden – and become a seasonal favorite.

• Colorful, rusty orange-red flower heads through summer
• Attractive ferny foliage forms a mat of vegetation
• Spicy, aromatic smell to the whole plant
• Attracts butterflies and pollinators
• Drought resistant and very easy to grow

Plant the Paprika Achillea in full sun, in any well-drained soil. Grows best in poorer soils – richer, moist soils cause floppy growth. Grows well in sandy, rocky ground. Normally untouched by pests or diseases, and generally not eaten by deer. Flower stems produce side branches – if you trim older clusters back to them, flowering will continue for much longer. Cut old flowers stems off low down among the foliage. Cut leaves back to the ground in fall, and divide every 2 or 3 years in spring, to prevent clumps from spreading – although in meadows and rough ground that can be desirable.