(Image credit: LianeM)

Yarrow is a beautiful wildflower that’s popular for its attractive spread of small, delicate flowers. On top of its striking flowers and feathery foliage, yarrow is prized for its hardiness. It is resistant to pests like deer and rabbits, it grows in most types of soil, and it is very cold hardy. Keep reading to learn more about hardy yarrow plants, particularly yarrow varieties for zone 5.

Hardy Yarrow Plants

Can yarrow grow in zone 5? Absolutely. Most varieties of yarrow thrive in the range of zone 3 to 7. They will usually last up to zone 9 or 10, but in warmer climates they will start to get leggy and need staking. In other words, yarrow prefers cool weather. Most yarrow plants should be just fine growing in zone 5, and since the plants come in a wide variety of colors and tolerance of soil conditions, you’ll have no trouble finding zone 5 yarrow plants that suit your needs.

Yarrow Varieties for Zone 5 Gardens

Here are some of the most popular and reliable yarrow varieties for zone 5 gardening: Common Yarrow – Hardy down to zone 3, this basic species of yarrow has flowers that range from white to red. Fern Leaf Yarrow – Hardy to zone 3, it has bright yellow flowers and especially fern-like foliage, earning it its name. Sneezewort – Hardy all the way down to zone 2, this yarrow variety has foliage that is longer than that of its cousins. It thrives in moist or even wet soil. Most of the cultivars sold today have double flowers. White Yarrow – One of the hotter varieties, it is only hardy to zone 5. It has white flowers and gray-green foliage. Wooly Yarrow – Hardy to zone 3, it has bright yellow flowers and delicate silver foliage covered in fine hairs. The foliage is extremely fragrant when brushed.

Liz Baessler
Senior Editor

The only child of a horticulturist and an English teacher, Liz Baessler was destined to become a gardening editor. She has been with Gardening Know how since 2015, and a Senior Editor since 2020. She holds a BA in English from Brandeis University and an MA in English from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. After years of gardening in containers and community garden plots, she finally has a backyard of her own, which she is systematically filling with vegetables and flowers.