This time three years ago, dodging the unrelenting rain showers, an intrepid group of plant and garden enthusiasts from the Sussex Hardy Plant Society came to visit: first to Laura’s garden and then ours in the afternoon. I had already been impressed by this beautiful mullein, so taking a cue from the exclamations of delight from our visitors, decided to make it my plant of the moment, the people’s choice!
I raised my plants from seed having spotted it as a new introduction in Derry Watkins’ very special seed catalogue and watched with interest as the dense basal rosettes of divided, ferny foliage formed over the summer – no flowers yet! But this year I was very excited when the first clouds of lemon-yellow flowers began to appear on the thin wiry stems. These are well spaced, and the flowers so delicate, that they appear to hover like butterflies. It’s hard to believe that such a small basal rosette can support the prolific flower heads
This year being so unusual in terms of weather, (rain, wind and very hot sun in whichever order) I‘ve had to give my plants a little twiggy support – although I have read that it doesn’t usually need staking. Verbascum roripifolium is relatively new to me, but I love it already. It is a tall, see-through plant (1.5-1.8m) and appears to revel in full sun.
NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 inc P & P and is for sale in our online shop here.
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3 replies on “Verbascum roripifolium”
Loved your blogs on that beautiful wild flower meadow but please will you explain how you deal with it in September?? Do you storm, then weed kill or what and then how do you make such a good filth to plant into? I am sure I am not the only one needing instruction Please. Jane
Strim not storm and tilth not filth!
Hello Jane – loving the typos! We left the dead annuals to overwinter in situ as there were lots of seeds for the birds. Then yes, we strimmed the area off and composted all the dead growth. We then worked the top few inches with a three pronged hoe and then squashed it back down with the back of a rake. I think the timing of these cultivations is critical to getting a fine tilth – the ground has to be dry enough to crumble but not so dry and hard that you pull up lumps! This year was really late due to such a wet spring. Once we had a decent seedbed we left it for 10 days for the surface weed seeds to germinate – then ran a Dutch hoe through the top inch or so on a hot afternoon to kill these off before we sowed the Pictorial Meadow seeds, then rolled the area. Hope this is helpful, best wishes Laura