Illustration
Axminster Gold
Symphytum × uplandicum 'Axminster Gold'
Also called russian comfrey
Axminster Gold blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Axminster Gold
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–7. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 2.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Is Axminster Gold toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Extension Toxicology Network, Oregon State University.
- Listed as poisonous to people by Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Axminster Gold
Plant Axminster Gold in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 7, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Axminster Gold get?
3 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2.5 ftwideSee Axminster Gold in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Axminster Gold
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Axminster Gold about 2.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Axminster Gold to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Axminster Gold's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 8 published sources on August 28, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- avantgardensne.comAvant Gardens Nursery (Dartmouth, Massachusetts), Katherine Traceyheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and pests
- brokenarrownursery.comBroken Arrow Nursery (Hamden, Connecticut)height, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- diggingdog.comDigging Dog Nursery (Albion, California)height, spread, hardiness zones, water and bloom months and color
- friendsschoolplantsale.comFriends School Plant Sale (Minnesota), printing Heritage Seedlings' copywater, bloom months and color and pests
- onegreenworld.comOne Green World (Portland, Oregon)hardiness zones, sun, trait tags and diseases
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxdiseases, pests and toxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Axminster Gold
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Leaves and roots carry pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Swallowed, they can cause sinusoidal obstruction syndrome and severe liver injury, and the harm accumulates rather than showing at once. The FDA asked US suppliers to withdraw comfrey products meant to be taken by mouth in 2001. Horses and cattle are at real risk too, and dried comfrey in hay stays toxic while becoming more palatable. Growing it, cutting it, composting it and using it as a mulch or liquid feed are all ordinary and fine; eating it, brewing it as tea, or letting a horse reach it are not. per NIH LiverTox and FDA and Oregon State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.