Yarrow vs Water Arum - TreeTime.ca

Yarrow vs Water Arum

Achillea borealis (Previously Achillea millefolium)

Calla palustris

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Yarrow
Water Arum

Yarrow is a herbaceous, native wildflower that is found across Canada. It features large, flat clusters of tiny white flowers. The blooms attract a variety of pollinators, making it an ideal choice for pollinator gardens. While partial shade is tolerated, the best flowering occurs in full sun. Yarrow is resistant to deer and rabbits, making it both a beautiful and practical addition to your landscape.

The entire plant is edible, but leaves and flowers are most commonly consumed. They have a strong licorice scent and a mild sweet flavor that is similar to tarragon. Yarrow leaves can also be used as a natural insect repellent.

It is important to plant Yarrow in the right place, it can spread quickly via both rhizomes and self-seeding. Deadheading the spent flowers will extend the bloom season and can help limit self-seeding.

Water Arum is a native perennial wetland plant known for its showy white oval sheaths (spathe) that surround a yellow-green, cylindrical flower spike (spadix). It has large, oblong, heart-shaped leaves on stems that rise above the water from shallow, spreading rhizomes. The blossoms are followed in late summer by tiny, pear-shaped fruits that ripen to bright red, adding ornamental interest to wet habitats.

Water Arum provides food for birds and small mammals that eat its berries, and its flowers attract pollinators. It can tolerate cold climates and forms colonies in shallow water and saturated soils. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, riparian planting, naturalisation, and habitat projects in wet and shaded environments.

Yarrow Quick Facts

Water Arum Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: none

Toxicity: toxic to dogs, cats, and horses

Toxicity: toxic if ingested
Flowers: clusters of white flowers
Flowers: white sheath around and yellow spike
Bloom time: late spring to early summer
Bloom time: spring to summer
Berries: red, in clusters
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: common yarrow, devils nettle, milfoil, western yarrow, white yarrow
Other Names: bog arum, swamp lily, wild calla, wild dragon