Illustration
Mullein
Verbascum
Also comes in pink, purple and white.
Mullein blooms from June through August.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Mullein
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 4 ft tall and 1.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
What this means
Written with AI assistance and not yet checked plant by plant against recorded sources, so treat every fact above as a starting point. Its scientific name was checked against botanical registries, an audit keeps its values consistent with the rest of the library, and a July 2026 review re-read the main facts of every plant then in the library against horticultural authorities without recording a source for each, which is why none of that counts as checked here. The source-by-source check is working through the whole library in the open, and a checked plant says so in this row.
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. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, 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; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Mullein get?
4 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1.5 ftwideSee Mullein 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 Mullein
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Mullein about 1.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Mullein to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Good to know about Mullein
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
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.
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.
Wisteria
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; climbs to 26 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
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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.