Fifteen captivating Verbascum varieties to elevate your summer gardens with tall, radiant blooms
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Mulleins, also known as Verbascums, are slender and versatile additions to any flower bed idea. These plants resemble huge candelabras of flowers and produce vertical accents in the border, making them a popular choice for gardeners. Here's a guide to growing some of the most attractive mullein varieties.
'Helen Johnson'
This perennial form produces attractive pink-copper flower spikes all summer above a rosette of wrinkly gray-green leaves. It thrives in full sun exposure and well-drained, light or rocky soils.
'Gainsborough'
A perennial form of mullein that carries candles of primrose yellow flowers above rosettes of gray-green leaves. While it's not known for being long-lived, it's a great addition to any garden, especially those with full sun exposure and well-drained soil.
Verbascum phlomoides 'Spica'
Produces spikes of ivory flowers above rosettes of downy silver-green leaves, growing to 6ft (1.8m) tall. It's a great self-seeding biennial that can be grown from seed and may flower in its first year.
Verbascum lychnitis
A native European mullein that has naturalized in parts of the US. It sends up branching spikes of white (or yellow) flowers, growing to 3ft (90cm) tall. It prefers full sun exposure and well-drained soil.
Verbascum olympicum
This variety has tall candelabras of lemon flowers, growing to 7ft (2m) tall. It's best grown in very light soil in sun and self-sows.
Verbascum phoeniceum 'Flush of White'
Produces spires of pure-white flowers, growing to 30in (75cm) tall, followed by attractive seed pods. It can be grown from seed and may flower in its first year.
'Southern Charm' (Cotswold Group)
A mullein with soft apricot, butter yellow, and blush pink flowers that can be grown from seed and self-sows in light, well-drained soil in sun.
'Jackie'
A short, stylish, and compact mullein with spires of apricot-pink flowers in summer.
'Pink Domino' (Cotswold Group)
A mullein with rich rose-pink flowers, growing to 4ft (1.2m) tall, ideal for creating vertical interest in a dry garden or gravel border.
Verbascum bombyciferum
Produces towers of sulfur-yellow flowers amongst woolly silver foliage, growing to 7ft (2m) tall. It's another great self-seeding biennial.
Verbascum chaixii 'Album'
Produces upright candles of white flowers with purple bees, growing to 3ft (90cm) tall. They are easy to grow from seed but are short-lived perennials.
Verbascum roripifolium
An unusual Greek biennial that forms a lightweight, delicate cloud of butter-yellow flowers on very thin stems.
Verbascum creticum (syn. 'Cotswold King')
A self-seeding biennial verbascum with large, fragrant gold flowers.
'Clementine'
An orange form of mullein with apricot flowers and purple bees, considered one of the more reliable perennial types.
Common mullein seeds are available from Amazon, but there are many more varieties to discover. To ensure successful garden growth, provide mulleins with full sun, well-drained light soil, minimal watering, and space to grow, mimicking their natural preference for sunny, disturbed, and poorer soils. They are generally drought tolerant and do not require frequent watering or fertilizing once established. Additionally, mullein plants are generally short-lived perennials or biennials, often living two to three years, and they tend to flower and then die back. They self-sow readily and may hybridize with related species, so allowing some space and monitoring spread may be desirable in a garden setting.
Landscaping a home-and-garden can benefit from the inclusion of mullein plants, as they offer visual appeal with their tall, flowering candelabras. The addition of flower beds filled with various mullein varieties, such as 'Helen Johnson' with its pink-copper spikes, 'Gainsborough' with its primrose yellow flowers, or 'Southern Charm' with its soft apricot, butter yellow, and blush pink flowers, can create a unique and attractive lifestyle in your garden.
