An Indianapolis reader wants to now the name of a plant that she’s sure is a weed. “I enjoyed watching this all summer last year. Could you provide me with the same of the weed? The middle stem grew so tall, I couldn’t believe it stayed upright,” wrote D.E.
She sent along a postage-stamp size photo of the plant, which even though a small image, was easy to identify.
The tall plant with greenish-blue, fuzzy leaves is common mullein (Verbascum thapsus). It is listed as an introduced biennial wildflower with an interesting lore. Some people call it a weed. Some say it’s an herbal medicine. And in the past, it served as a shoe insert and tobacco substitute. The incredibly soft leaves can get up 10 inches long and 5 inches wide.
The leaves of common mullein are extremely soft and have been used as inserts for shoes with holes in their soles. © Spiff/dollarphotoclub.com
It prefers a sunny location and generally roots along roadside, fields and areas of our garden where the soil has been disturbed.
The flowers are processed for an herbal cure-all for everything from respiratory problems to joint pain. The leaves have been used as bandages. Decades ago, poor people used the leaves to line their shoes that had holes in the soles.
Originally from Europe and Asia, the texture and form of mullein make it an interesting natural, architectural element in the garden.
There are hybrid ornamental verbascums that are grown here as a long-blooming tender perennial that’s terrific as a cut flower. Although some, such as the Southern Charm or Christo’s Yellow Lightning, are rated hardy to USDA Zone 5, they rarely winter over.
Beautiful purple fruit forms on pokeweed in late summer. Robins love it and act a little drunk as they imbibe.
© Jennifer Handy/123rf.com
Another weed with stunning architectural stature is pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), which also can reach 10 feet high. An native perennial in the Eastern United States, young leaves are considered a delicacy in some cultures. Mature plants are poisonous to humans.
Birds, especially robins, love the purple fruit that forms as clumps along the plant in mid to late summer. As the season progresses, the hollow stem turns purple, adding even more interest in the garden.
Pokeweed prefers full sun and moist, rich soil, but is quite tolerant of part shade. Birds frequently deposit seeds in our garden beds. ‘Silverstein’ is a variegated cultivar of pokeweed, with creamy-green leaves on 4 to 6 foot tall plants with violet pink fruit.