Achillea millefolium 'Red Velvet' - Non-Fading Red Yarrow

A spectacular drought-tolerant perennial that transforms sunny gardens with its magnificent displays of brilliant non-fading red flower clusters and exceptional colour retention, creating enchanting continuous colour from early summer through autumn with flowers that maintain their rich velvety appearance throughout the season, perfectly complemented by aromatic ferny grey-green foliage and outstanding repeat flowering that makes it ideal for cottage gardens, xeriscapes, and contemporary garden displays where striking fade-resistant colour impact meets outstanding pollinator magnetism and remarkable drought tolerance.

Headlines

• Plant Type: Hardy herbaceous drought-tolerant vigorous perennial
• Eventual Height: 60cm 
• Eventual Spread: 50cm 
• Flowering Period: May to September
• Flower Colour: Deep rose-red to rich velvety red, non-fading
• Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -25 to -20 degrees Celsius (RHS hardiness rating H7)
• Growth Habit: Vigorous mat-forming with upright flowering stems
• Flower Type: Large flat-topped umbel clusters up to 10cm across
• Wildlife Value: Exceptional butterfly, bee, and beneficial insect magnet

Overview

Achillea millefolium 'Red Velvet' exemplifies extraordinary garden excellence for wildlife enthusiasts and water-wise gardeners, producing spectacular displays of brilliant non-fading red flower clusters that create distinguished beauty throughout an extended flowering season with exceptional colour retention. This outstanding cultivar from the Netherlands transforms garden spaces with its vigorous mat-forming growth that showcases abundant large flat-topped clusters of deep rose-red blooms, where individual flowers feature beautiful velvety red petals that refuse to fade, arranged in magnificent flat formations that create sophisticated visual presence and maintain their rich colour throughout the season. The unique rich velvety red flowers with their remarkable fade-resistant qualities rise elegantly on tall stalks above pleasantly aromatic grey-green ferny foliage, making this yarrow particularly impressive for xeriscapes and dramatic colour displays, representing modern breeding excellence with outstanding colour stability. The flowers repeat without interruption from early summer through autumn, creating sustained displays with vigorous regrowth, providing essential nectar sources when butterflies and beneficial insects need them most during the growing season. The disease-resistant aromatic ferny foliage enhances the spectacular visual impact, creating memorable garden experiences that complement both formal landscape designs and wildlife-friendly garden schemes.

Key Features

The outstanding appeal of 'Red Velvet' lies in its masses of long-lasting clusters of bright, non-fading, rich red flowers held high on tall stems, showcasing spectacular formation with deep rose-red elegance and impressive fade-resistant presence. Each flower cluster displays beautifully formed large flat-topped structure up to 10cm across with dense bundles of tiny flowers arranged in magnificent umbel formation, featuring the most fade-resistant rich velvety red colour to date in magnificent arrangements that create displays of exceptional beauty and contemporary charm. The distinctive deep rose-red colour that holds its colour provides enchanting displays that maintain their sophisticated appeal throughout the extended flowering season, creating spectacular visual richness that symbolises breeding innovation and wildlife conservation. The pleasantly aromatic grey-green ferny foliage is disease resistant and provides a real bonus, with fine-textured leaves creating excellent contrast to the flower colour throughout the growing season. The vigorous spreading nature and excellent cutting qualities make this variety perfect for large displays and cut flower arrangements, creating memorable garden experiences that enhance both xeriscape applications and cutting garden enjoyment with fade-resistant colour sophistication and luxurious aromatic charm.

Growth Characteristics

The vigorous mat-forming habit with upright flowering stems creates an impressive spreading framework, making this variety particularly valuable for large borders, naturalising, and garden applications where substantial flowering coverage and dramatic colour impact are essential. The aromatic deep green ferny foliage is produced abundantly and creates an exceptionally attractive backdrop that perfectly complements the red bloom colours whilst maintaining excellent vigour and distinctive disease-resistant appeal. The well-established spreading growth habit of this dynamic 60-90cm perennial ensures reliable flowering whilst creating substantial visual impact that fits perfectly into larger garden settings, with the vigorous spreading nature making it ideal for naturalising, large border displays, and prominent locations where its distinguished beauty and wildlife value can be fully appreciated with dramatic effect.

Flowering Performance

Throughout the extended season, 'Red Velvet' delivers exceptional flowering displays that continue reliably from June to September without interruption. The plant produces abundant clusters of non-fading red blooms consistently throughout the summer and autumn, creating impressive visual impact with exceptional performance that ensures ongoing garden distinction and vital wildlife support. The individual flower clusters develop with magnificent deep red formation, with the long-blooming flowers of Red Velvet fading less than older varieties, making this one of the best reds to date, whilst the exceptionally large cluster size up to 10cm across ensures commanding presence for extended periods throughout the growing season. The vigorous repeat flowering nature with excellent regrowth characteristics ensures magnificent displays throughout the season, with the ongoing rich non-fading blooms providing persistent focal points that enhance garden spaces with their distinctive colour palette and pollinator magnetism.

Growing Conditions

'Red Velvet' thrives in nearly any sunny situation, even where there is poor soil, growing best in full sun with well-drained conditions whilst preferring to be planted in infertile soil for optimal performance and colour development. This drought-resistant yarrow becomes exceptionally drought tolerant and performs brilliantly in xeriscapes, large borders, and contemporary garden spaces where the rich red colours can create maximum visual impact. For best results, plant in sunny locations with excellent drainage and adequate space for the spreading nature, as this variety is perfect for xeriscapes and requires only average soil with occasional summer water. The variety needs only average soil and is drought and heat tolerant, whilst the vigorous spreading nature makes it particularly suitable for larger garden situations where its wildlife qualities and fade-resistant colour intensity can be celebrated with outstanding water-wise benefits.

Hardiness and Disease Resistance

'Red Velvet' demonstrates excellent resilience characteristics with reliable performance in UK growing conditions, maintaining healthy growth throughout the season with outstanding vigour and remarkable drought and heat tolerance. This winter hardy yarrow shows exceptional hardiness with excellent cold tolerance, making it dependable for gardeners seeking reliable colourful plantings and wildlife support. The distinctive aromatic ferny foliage is specifically noted for its disease resistance, remaining attractive and vigorous throughout challenging growing conditions, making it an excellent choice for gardeners seeking dependable plantings with manageable maintenance requirements. The hardy nature from the Netherlands breeding programme ensures consistent performance across different growing conditions and seasonal changes, supporting reliable colour development and flowering performance throughout the extended flowering period.

Care and Maintenance

'Red Velvet' benefits from cutting spent blooms to keep it going and encourage continued blooming throughout the extended season, whilst the vigorous nature may require management in smaller gardens due to its spreading habit. Apply balanced perennial fertiliser sparingly in early spring, as this variety performs excellently in infertile soil and average garden conditions without requiring rich feeding. The excellent disease resistance and drought tolerance mean this variety requires minimal intervention with standard care practices, making it ideal for gardeners seeking reliable plantings with distinguished fade-resistant colour impact. Cut the plant down to ground level in early spring before new growth emerges, whilst division every 3-4 years maintains vigour and controls spreading, with the mat-forming habit making this variety excellent for naturalising larger areas.

Garden Applications

'Red Velvet' excels in xeriscape displays, large border plantings, and naturalising features where its fade-resistant beauty and vigorous proportions can be fully appreciated. The rich non-fading red colour makes it ideal for drought-tolerant garden schemes, cutting gardens, and contemporary landscapes where distinctive colour impact and wildlife support are essential. Perfect for xeriscapes and spreading to 5 feet for dramatic statements, this yarrow provides outstanding cut flowers that enhance floral arrangements with fade-resistant deep colour for special occasions and dramatic displays. The excellent qualities for both fresh and dried flower arrangements make it valuable for cutting gardens, whilst the reliable vigorous growth and exceptional flowering performance make it particularly suitable for creating stunning colour displays in larger applications, where its distinctive non-fading characteristics create spectacular garden interest and vital wildlife habitat.

Wildlife Value

'Red Velvet' is exceptional for attracting butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects, serving as both nectar source and wildlife habitat with this variety being sure to attract butterflies wherever it's planted. The large flat-topped flower heads provide perfect landing platforms for butterflies and are beloved by beneficial insects, making it a major attraction throughout the garden during the extended flowering season. The extended flowering period from June to September provides crucial nectar sources throughout the growing season, making it invaluable for supporting wildlife during both early summer and autumn months. The aromatic foliage and tall stems provide additional habitat benefits for beneficial insects, whilst the long-lasting non-fading blooms ensure consistent wildlife support, making it a super habitat plant that attracts birds and beneficial insects, perfect for wildlife gardens, pollinator gardens, and naturalistic spaces where substantial wildlife support and visual appeal can be provided with water-wise garden sophistication.

Seasonal Interest

Throughout the growing season, 'Red Velvet' provides exceptional seasonal interest with extended displays and outstanding fade-resistant performance. Spring brings the emergence of fresh aromatic ferny foliage and strong new vigorous growth, building anticipation for the spectacular flowering display. The magnificent deep red blooms from early summer into autumn provide months of distinctive non-fading colour that maintains its sophisticated appeal throughout the entire season, creating consistent sophisticated impact and vital wildlife support when many other red flowers lose their intensity. The attractive aromatic deep green ferny foliage remains healthy and disease-resistant throughout summer and autumn, providing perfect contrast for the flower displays, whilst the vigorous mat-forming structure provides attractive garden interest and valuable wildlife habitat year-round.

Fragrance Profile

'Red Velvet' features pleasantly aromatic foliage that will delightfully enhance the garden experience, with the ferny grey-green leaves providing distinctive herbal fragrance that complements the distinguished visual display and enhances both garden atmosphere and traditional appeal. The aromatic qualities add authentic cottage garden charm whilst making this yarrow particularly valuable for positions near pathways and seating areas where both visual beauty and aromatic interest are desired for outdoor living. The fine-textured aromatic foliage enhances garden atmosphere and makes this variety suitable for areas where traditional herbal garden charm contributes to the garden experience, particularly near entertaining spaces where the aromatic foliage creates lasting distinguished impressions and attracts beneficial wildlife throughout summer evenings with time-honoured medicinal properties.

Companion Planting

The distinctive non-fading deep red colouring of 'Red Velvet' provides excellent opportunities for companion planting with complementary garden plants and sophisticated colour schemes. The rich velvety red colour works beautifully with plants that provide harmonising or contrasting tones, whilst white and silver foliaged plants provide elegant contrasts that highlight the deep red blooms. Yellow and cream flowering plants provide vibrant combinations that enhance the red richness, whilst ornamental grasses and contemporary perennials can create stunning combinations throughout the growing season that support diverse wildlife communities whilst maintaining spectacular garden displays in xeriscape and naturalistic settings that celebrate the fade-resistant characteristics.

Specimen Planting

The excellent vigorous qualities and distinguished fade-resistant nature make 'Red Velvet' particularly valuable for gardeners who wish to create dramatic focal points and large-scale features in garden displays. The mat-forming growth, abundant non-fading red blooms, and aromatic disease-resistant foliage create outstanding garden displays that provide lasting seasonal enhancement whilst supporting vital wildlife populations, with the superior colour retention creating impressive displays that neighbours will admire throughout the entire growing season. The reliable vigorous spreading growth ensures impressive flowering impact whilst maintaining excellent proportions for larger gardens, making it ideal for naturalistic beauty and wildlife displays that provide contemporary statements for sophisticated larger spaces with excellent water-wise performance.

Innovation and Design

'Red Velvet' represents exceptional yarrow breeding excellence as a wonderfully superior cultivar from the Netherlands that combines fade-resistant beauty with exceptionally vibrant non-fading colour and outstanding drought tolerance, making it an excellent choice for gardeners seeking distinctive perennials with impressive colour stability and water-wise benefits. The deep rose-red colour with distinctive large flat-topped flower clusters that refuse to fade offers remarkable visual distinction whilst maintaining excellent wildlife appeal and drought-tolerant performance, making it particularly suitable for xeriscape designs, naturalistic spaces, and contemporary garden displays where sophisticated fade-resistant colour statements and wildlife support are important considerations with sustainable gardening benefits.

Netherlands Excellence

'Red Velvet' offers gardeners a distinguished cultivar from the Netherlands that combines traditional garden beauty with exceptional wildlife value and superior colour retention. This outstanding hardy plant provides the benefits of abundant flowering and wildlife attraction with the most fade-resistant red flowers to date, making it an environmentally responsible choice for water-wise gardening. The variety's superior appearance with modern breeding innovation and dependable vigorous growth habit have made it popular among gardeners who appreciate perennials that combine visual distinction with vital wildlife support and suitability for challenging growing conditions and large-scale applications.

Why Choose 'Red Velvet'?

Achillea millefolium 'Red Velvet' represents the perfect combination of superior garden beauty, distinctive non-fading red colour excellence, and outstanding wildlife value in a drought-tolerant spreading package. The abundant clusters of brilliant fade-resistant red blooms and their aromatic disease-resistant ferny foliage provide exceptional displays from early summer through autumn without interruption, whilst the vigorous spreading growth and excellent drought tolerance ensure dependable performance with manageable maintenance requirements. Whether grown for distinguished xeriscape displays, wildlife habitats, cutting gardens, large-scale naturalising, or simply for its superior non-fading beauty and vital ecological role, this outstanding yarrow offers exceptional value that combines fade-resistant appeal with reliable garden excellence, creating lasting memories and enduring beauty that celebrates breeding innovation and wildlife conservation with impressive distinction that enhances any garden setting where reliability, drought tolerance, superior colour retention, and wildlife support are appreciated.