Yarrow concerns

I have been concerned about my wild yarrow plant lately (they are native here where i live, so i just dug one up and moved it into my garden :) )

Last year it went berserk, and took me by surprise as i never knew they could get so tall and dense (they are often small, leggy and spindly, growing in shaded areas under the edges of forest).

Over the past few days i have noticed a color change in my plant, it went from a rich green color, to, all i can describe as a "dingy" gray green color, and there are also some places on it that are starting to turn brown.

I tried to look it up online, but most of the search results just gave me "miracle healer" this, and "fix your body" that, lol. So im looking forward to what advice you guys have to offer, thanks! :)

This message was edited May 20, 2017 8:33 PM

Bluntly, common yarrow (which is probably what you have if you dug it up) is horrible. It is considered invasive. It spreads by seeds and roots.

https://www.plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_acmi2.pdf

I had a client who installed a few plants in her garden, and compounded the error by dividing it to control it and then planting the divisions.

Get a shovel and dig it out. It took a while, but it's not really hard to dig up, but start now, or it will be everywhere.

I know that there are those who promote its so called benefits. Lots of plants have benefits but don't end up being a nuisance in the garden and spreading everywhere.

To each his own. I love yarrow. I have a lot in my garden that is well-behaved, but I inherited the garden from a former owner and I suspect mine is a cultivar. There are other things in my garden that some people prize far more highly that are much more of a problem than yarrow.

But away from judgment on the plants... I have had a similar problem with my yarrow. I am not entirely sure what causes it, but mine seem to be fairly fussy about how much water they get - too little and the leaf edges brown, too much and they also brown. I could be completely off-base, but that's my guess.

Here's a little more from the Farmer's Almanac:
https://www.almanac.com/plant/yarrow

Not sure what's wrong with your yarrow. Bugs are rampant right now. I have blister bugs eating lots of stuff and some little gold bugs. (Yes, I believe they are called "gold bugs". You might check for bugs.

If you are having trouble with blister bugs you might try spinosad. It's organic, and derived by fermentation. I am all about organic. I use the drop them into soapy water method for japanese beetles (ick, sometimes 50 a day). I researched it a year ago when I realized the viburnum beetle was on the way. I saw the larvae, sprayed once and puff! The viburnum beetle likes dentatum (very common in gardens) and trilobum (even more common) and it worked. I went to several sites and they mentioned it in conjunction with controlling the viburnum beetle, the lily leaf beetle (thank heaven - I have hundreds of lilies) and my only question is whether it hurts bees, so I use it at night. I saved the viburnums of several clients using this very inexpensive stuff.

Donna, you are such a good gardener!

You are the kindest person in the WORLD!!!!!!