Verbascum bombyciferum Silver Lining Seeds - Mullein

Verbascum bombyciferum Silver Lining is a very beautiful variety of giant silver mullein combining a particularly whitish, woolly foliage with pretty, soft yellow flowers, gathered on a man-sized candelabra head. This tall, short-lived biennial or perennial plant adapts to all types of soil, including rocky, chalky, dry or even poor soils. Irreplaceable in no-water gardens, this somewhat wild and romantic mullein is sensational in big flowerbeds.

Giant silver mullein, in Latin Verbascum bombyciferum, belongs to the family Scrophulariaceae. It is a botanical species native to Turkey that is found in meadows, on dry slopes and uncultivated areas. Like most mullein, it is a hardy, short-lived plant that prefers lean, well-drained soils and full sun. In its first year of life, the plant develops a beautiful rosette that can reach up to 60 cm in diameter, consisting of leaves covered with a thick, silvery, almost white down. This rosette's leaves are generally oval and have a long pointed tip. They sometimes reach 30 cm long and 10 cm wide which do not fall in winter. In the second year, during the month of May, a large floral bud appears in the centre of the rosette which grows longer and develops into a tall flowering stem whose base is covered with leaves and that can measure up to 1.80 m. It blooms from June to August-September, bearing branched spikes studded with soft yellow flowers in the form of 3 cm cups that are tightly packed together and that open here and there, along the spikes. This mullein is a melliferous plant much appreciated by bees. It easily self-seeds in light soil and usually flowers two years after sowing.

Verbascum like sun and infertile lands that are not too wet in winter. The plants are also tolerant of summer drought and are perfect in a low-maintenance or no-water garden. The stately, soft and yet bright Silver Lining mullein will bring a lot of elegance and personality to beds. Because of their verticality, they are ideally placed at the back of beds or in groups with other flowering species. Its rustic look is well suited to wild gardens. The tall flower stems of Verbascum make wonderful summer bouquets. You can easily create a pretty summer scene that will require little maintenance by mixing this Silver Lining mullein with Perovskia, lavender, blue or purple perennial sages and a purple Phormium for example...