Here is my beautiful wild common Mullein (rhymes with sullen) that we dug out of our friends’ garden.  It was growing as a weed there, so Jon dug it up and I put it in a big pot.  I intended to plant it on one of our hillsides, but never got a round tuit.

 

So we just watched as it grew from a 10 inch rosette of basal leaves into this magnificent specimen.  It is almost 7 feet tall.

 

Here’s what I read in the Magic and Medicine of Plants book:  its botanical name is Verbascum thapsus, and it is also called Bunny’s Ears, Flannelleaf, and Jacob’s-staff, along with many other common names.  It is in the snapdragon family, and has been used since antiquity for many purposes:  some religious, some medicinal, some cosmetic.  I especially liked the practice of putting the leaves inside thin-soled shoes for added warmth.  

 

Here is a link to Wikipedia if you would like to read more about mullein.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus

 

Anyway, the next time you are out for a ride, look around roadsides, waste places, and country fence rows.  You may see mullein blooming now.  They really are pretty.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!