Mullein
Verbascum
Also comes in pink, purple and white.
Mullein blooms from June through August.
This entry comes from our curated library and has not yet been independently checked against outside sources. Curated is not unreliable: a standing audit keeps every entry internally consistent, and the source-by-source check is working through the whole library in the open.
Growing Mullein
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 3.9 ft tall and 1.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Mullein
Plant Mullein 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. For the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9 range, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from June to August.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 7 in March.
Good to know about Mullein
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Low risk to people and pets. The seeds are rich in saponins that are toxic to fish, so keep seed heads out of ponds and streams. per EFSA and Wisconsin
Worth knowing
The dense woolly felt on the leaves does double duty: it makes them unpalatable to deer and rabbits, and it blocks herbicide, so cutting beats spraying. per NC State
Biennial or short-lived perennial?
The wild plant is a strict biennial: a rosette, then one spike, then it dies. Garden hybrids are short-lived perennials of two to three years. Both persist by self-seeding. per NC State
Garden gem or weed?
Same name, two plants. The refined garden hybrids are well-behaved ornamentals; wild common mullein is a naturalized weed, noxious in some states. For either, cut spikes before they seed. per NC State and Cal-IPC
Enormous, long-lived seed bank
One plant can set 100,000 to 240,000 seeds that stay viable in the soil for decades (35 to 100 years reported). Deadhead spikes before they seed. per NC State
Plant it lean and dry
Plant it lean and dry. Rich or wet soil gives weak, floppy stems and rots the taproot; poor, sharply drained ground keeps it sturdy. per NC State
Each flower lasts a morning
Each flower on the spike opens before dawn and closes by mid-afternoon, but the spike keeps flowering bottom-up over several weeks. per NC State
What pairs well with Mullein
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rock Cress
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; low at 4 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Goldenrod
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Autumn Crocus
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early fall as this one finishes; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Crocus
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; low at 4 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Grape Hyacinth
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Thyme
Shares full sun and low water; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; opens in late spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants.
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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.