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Cottage Gardens

Excited about verbascum

5 years ago

I started seeds last spring of verbascum chaixii. I ended up with two plants of it. I planted them in the ground last fall. Also have an Anchusa plant I'm looking forward to seeing. This year I have seedlings of convolvulus, ammi majus, Chinese forget-me-nots, Bells of Ireland, gomphrena Fireworks and another gomphrena, and zinnias and cosmos. I'm looking forward to seeing all these! I had a couple of forget me not plants from last year which overwintered and are blooming now.

Here is verbascum putting on some size:

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Comments (5)

Dillybeansown (6b in the Ozarks)
5 years ago
I love verbascum! Good luck with yours!
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erasmus_gw thanked Dillybeansown (6b in the Ozarks)
User
4 years ago
I had a verbascum moment (after the hideous dry summer last year) and sowed a large variety of seeds - some species such as v.nigrum, virgatum, phoeniceum, blattaria, phlomoides...and needless to say, massive labelling fail has made the coming weeks...interesting, because I planted these, willy nilly, in my wood and my allotment.
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erasmus_gw thanked User
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erasmus_gw
Original Author
4 years ago
Well, the verbascum has been blooming for a long time now. It started out disappointing , looking like bits of popcorn stuck to the stalk. Finally the blooms opened and were more interesting looking. The plant sent out some side shoots, and overall leaned over a bit, which was prettier than just being stiffly upright. One of my verbascum plants has not ever progressed past the bits of popcorn stage. Maybe it gets less water. With the plant leaning over, many little side shoots are reaching upwards, which makes the stalk look something like a comb. Overall I'm not sure I'd plant it again as it is a fairly large plant and looks kind of weedy to me.

Another two plants from seed I doubt I'll try again are ammi majus and convolvulus. Both are spindly. My Benary's Giant zinnias and cosmos are doing well. Gomphrena Fireworks is growing slowly. Have lots of Forget-Me-Nots.

Every year I usually have lots of self-seeded rose campion and larkspur plants. Once had big drifts of larkspurs. Now both of these have dwindled away. Very few of either came up. Someone else in our town who usually has a big splash of rose campion barely has any this year. It was a mild winter. I wonder what happened.
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Cathy Kaufell
4 years ago
There are a few different types of Verbascum. My favorite isVerbascum Bombyciferum. because it looks like a large lemon yellow candelabra.
erasmus_gw
Original Author
4 years ago
So far my verbascum plants look like they're going to make it through the winter despite having lots of rain. Looking forward to seeing them again.
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