'Mullein' or 'Turkish Mullein' or 'Silver Mullein' (Ver-BAS-cum: bom-by-SIF-er-um) SCROPHULARIACEAE:
Plants grow a 60-72 inch tall spike of flowers the second year. The first year they have large silver white colored -wholly textured leaves that lay low to the ground. Plants stand out in the landscape with their white powdered wooly leaves and stems topped off with soft medium yellow colored flowers over a few weeks in midsummer. A large verbascum that makes a dramatic statement in the garden. Plants are easy to grow from seed and are biennial that will form a large rosette of wooly haired, silver coated leaves the first year. In its second growing season, it sends up a candelabrum of 5 foot stalks that have 3/4-inch sulfur-yellow colored, round flowers. It prefers a sunny location in well-draining soils but tolerates most soil conditions except very wet.
The tall spires of flowers add some height interest to the garden and look real nice on a bank. Will flower June-August. For the most part plants act as biennials but are really monocarpic, and if one removes the flowering stems before flowering plants will live many years and produce wide clumps of very attractive silver colored leaves. Needs full sun and dry soils in the winter and early spring.
Zones 4-8. Lightly cover seeds with a dusting of medium. Germinating in 2 to 3 weeks at F 65. Keep seed in constant moisture (not wet) do not cover the seeds, but tightly press into the seed starting mix. Biennial. This species is native from Greece.
100 seeds.
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