Mullein

Dark mullein is a native perennial and a popular medicinal herb that will bring a piece of unbridled nature into your garden. Its natural home is found on sunny slopes, embankments, and roadsides, which is why it thrives best in our gardens in full sun, in well-drained and rather sandy soil. It can handle longer periods of drought and easily survives frosts down to minus twenty-three degrees. It forms a neat basal rosette of dark green leaves, from which sturdy stems over a meter tall emerge in May and June. While the original wild species blooms yellow, this exceptional var. album form boasts pure white flowers cleverly decorated with purple and finely hairy stamens. These flowers act literally as a magnet for bees and other beneficial pollinators. Although it is a short-lived perennial, if it likes it at your place, it will reliably take care of new seedlings and grow in the same spot in the following years. In a flowerbed, it perfectly complements drought-tolerant grasses and fits beautifully into naturally styled plantings. You can also confidently cut the sturdy, tall flower stems for a vase, where they will look stunning for several days, and they serve as an unconventional element in summer bouquets. Mullein does not require any complicated care, and generally does not suffer from pests or diseases, so even complete beginners can grow it without any trouble.

Mullein 'Wedding Candles' is a garden cultivar of a native European perennial that naturally grows on sunny rocky slopes and will bring vertical dynamics to your garden. Thanks to its origin, it suits full sun and permeable sandy soil, where it needs almost no watering. Even a complete beginner can handle growing it because it does not suffer from diseases or pests and easily withstands frosts down to minus twenty-three degrees Celsius. You will get a mature seedling in a pot, which only needs to be transplanted into a bed, ideally at a spacing of five to seven plants per square meter. The 'Wedding Candles' cultivar grows to a height of over a meter and does not need any support. It is adorned with gray-green felted leaves and during May and June it produces striking pure white flowers that have purple fuzzy stamens. These edible flowers act as a huge magnet for bees and bumblebees. Although it is a short-lived perennial, it reliably self-seeds in a suitable location. It is suitable for mixed perennial beds, where it beautifully complements lower steppe grasses. You can use the flowers for cutting into summer bouquets, but they are not suitable for drying. If you leave the mullein in the flower bed through the winter, its silhouette will provide an interesting spectacle.