Verbascum (Cotswold Group) 'Gainsborough'
mullein
- 9cm pot
- £11.99
- available to order from spring
- 3 × 9cm pots
- £29.99 £10.00 each
- available to order from spring
Delivery options
- Standard £5.99
- Position: full sun
- Soil: poor, well-drained, alkaline soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: May to August
- Hardiness: fully hardy (but short-lived)
- Garden care: Plant in full sun or light shade in well-drained soil, spacing plants to allow good airflow. Water regularly while establishing, then only during prolonged dry spells, as they dislike wet, winter ground conditions.
Deadhead spent flower stems promptly to encourage repeat flowering, and leave the basal rosette intact over winter, tidying back in spring when new growth appears.
Mullein moth caterpillars can be a problem, so pick off the insects in early June as soon as they appear. Remove faded flower spikes if you do not want them to self-seed.
Elegant panicles bearing sulphur-yellow, saucer-shaped flowers, rise above the rosette of puckered, grey-green leaves in summer. A reliable perennial, which may produce a second flush of flowers if deadheaded promptly.