Did you know a roadside weed, Verbascum Thapsus, or common mullein, can serve as a valuable garden accent and useful herb?Why not watch for it this coming summer to see if it’s something you’d like to grow in your garden?

The word mullein derives from the Latin word mollis, meaning “soft,” referring to the soft leaves covered with tiny hairs. Mullein is a biennial with velvety leaves up to a foot long, which arrange themselves in a pretty rosette, low to the ground in its first year of growth. The second year, a long, spear-shaped flower stalk appears, with pale yellow flowers opening sporadically throughout the summer months into fall. The stalk can reach heights of three to eight feet, depending on the type of soil it grows in.

Mullein, a native of Europe and the temperate regions of central Asia, naturalized here in the United States. The plant is resilient to Mother Nature’s wrath, does well in poor soils and hot, dry weather, and will survive temperatures as low as 30 degrees below zero. Found in wasteland and along roadsides, it will gladly reseed itself once you’ve established it in your yard.

Mullein is a practical herb that has a long history of practical use. For example, some Native American tribes used the large, woolly leaves to diaper their babies. Some tribes smoked the dried roots and leaves to treat asthma. Taking advantage of the mucilage and anti-inflammatory compounds within mullein leaves and flowers, they used the leaves as bandages to help soothe inflammation, relieve pain and protect injuries.

During the Civil War, soldiers used mullein for treating chest colds, bronchitis, and asthma when they ran out of conventional medicines. Tea made from the leaves or flowers can be used to treat.
 
The tall flower stalks were dried and dipped in tallow to use as torches as far back as Roman times. The dried leaves and flower spikes make good tinder. They are highly flammable and are usually readily available for starting a fall campfire.

The leaves and smaller rosettes can be pressed for craft projects and the dried leaves and flowers are also useful as filler for potpourri.
 
If the flowers of the common weed don’t make mullein appealing plant for your garden, gardeners now have some 300 species of Verbascum available in many colors and branching stalks that make impressive garden accents.

In my garden, I enjoy transplanting the tiny rosettes to places of honor to enjoy the soft gray leaves and pretty rosettes, pinching back the flower stalk to make a lusher base plant. That way my grandchildren can reach in and caress the leaves as they meander through my garden.

By Madeline Perron, UNH Cooperative Extension Master Gardener

6/30/06

For more information call the UNH Cooperative Extension's Family, Home & Garden Center's Info-line (toll free) at 1-877-398-4769 or send us an email. Volunteers are available to answer your questions Monday through Friday 9:00am to 2:00 p.m.