Habit (mature) · Yerpo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Limited coverage
Fern-leaf yarrow
Achillea filipendulina
A tall, sun-loving, drought-tolerant perennial in the daisy family, grown for its broad, flat-topped corymbs of tiny golden-yellow flowers held on stiff stems above finely divided, aromatic gray-green ferny foliage. Native to the Caucasus, Iran, and Afghanistan and long naturalized in gardens worldwide, it forms a tidy upright clump (rather than running like common yarrow) and is one of the most reliable, low-care pollinator and cut-flower plants for hot, dry, full-sun borders.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: moderate (65/100)
Pollinator
Border
Structure
Filler
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
36-48" tall · 21" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-9b
brutally cold to frosty winters
Native in Illinois
No
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Drainage and aeration
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The broad, accessible flower heads are heavily worked by bees, butterflies, skippers, and predatory beneficial insects, making fern-leaf yarrow a classic 'insectary' plant for a sunny pollinator border.
Cold hardiness
Future
These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7a
Plotwright
Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).
Well-suited
In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Future
Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
›
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
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Arizona Mountains forests
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Atlantic coastal pine barrens
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Blue Mountains forests
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
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Central Tallgrass prairie
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Central-Southern Cascades Forests
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Chilean Matorral
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Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Fern-leaf yarrow (Achillea filipendulina). Retrieved 2026, June 13, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/achillea-filipendulina
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
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Regional guidance
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Designer notes
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.