Botanist's Lens: Yarrows, St. Johns-wort, & Spurge - Great for Hot Summers
Summer just got hotter!
Summer went from hot to hotter to hottest in a matter of days. Even for garden beds with automated irrigation, hot-humid weeks can send us in a rush to check on water for lawns, garden beds, delicate annuals and planters.
Like your garden, but not so much the moisture checks? Well, if you get full sun and would like at least one section in your garden that you don’t have to rush to check on water - even on the hottest days - then you might want to add some of following plants: Yarrows, St. John's-wort, and Euphorbias, also known as Spurge.
Yarrow
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is a rewarding all season bloomer. The feathered aromatic leaves are gorgeous in of itself, and the inflorescence is stunning. Featured today are 'Moonshine' with a yellow brighter than the sun and 'Paprika' that would set the temperatures soaring even on grey cloud cover days.
Yarrows have high ethnobotanical uses. "The genus name Achillea refers to Achilles, hero of the Trojan Wars in Greek mythology, who used the plant medicinally to stop bleeding and to heal the wounds of his soldiers". Source
St. John's wort
St. John’s-