Verbascum Pink Domino - Mullein

Verbascum 'Pink Domino', also known as Hybrid Mullein or White Mullein, is a graceful herbaceous perennial. It produces beautiful, abundantly blooming spikes of fresh pink flowers with a darker heart in summer from opulent, semi-evergreen, dark green basal rosettes. This incredibly generous, fresh and light, giant plant grows quickly and upright. It is indispensable in romantic and slightly wild flowerbeds, and poor soil.

The 'Pink Domino' Hybrid Mullein belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. It is a hybrid, resulting from the cross-breeding between Verbascum phoeniceum, native to central-eastern Europe and the Middle East, and Verbascum olympicum, a giant plant native to Greece. This plant can reach a height of 1m (3ft). Its growth is rapid, reaching its final size in one month. This perennial has a rosette from which long branched floral stems emerge. It flowers from June to August, with pyramidal spikes reaching 70 cm (28in) high, composed of cup-shaped flowers measuring 3 cm (1in) in diameter. The flowers are fresh pink with a carmine throat, densely packed and opening here and there along the spike. The rosettes consist of ovate to elliptical, wavy, dark grey-green leaves, 20 cm (8in) long. This mullein is nectar-rich and loved by bees. Although theoretically perennial, it is often grown as a biennial as it is not very long-lived but it easily self-seeds in light soil.

The 'Pink Domino' Verbascum should be planted in full sun. This mullein should be planted in spring, in ordinary, light, porous, well-drained soil, and prefers moist to dry alkaline soil where it will readily self-seed (the flower colour will not come true to the parent). Remove faded flowers at the base to encourage more flowers and longevity of the plant. Cut back dry parts as soon as they are no longer decorative and clean the clump in late winter at the latest.

As a plant for open and dry spaces, 'Pink Domino' Hybrid Verbascum is a blessing for 'impossible' slopes, where it will look good alongside valerians and stonecrops. Natural scenes in slightly wild areas of the garden will be transformed by hybrid mulleins. Pair them with hollyhocks, Amorpha canescens, dittany, blue lavenders, wild chicory, perennial flax, or the wonderful purple fennel. It can also be a very beautiful container plant if watered and fed regularly.