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Verbascum phoeniceum
Purple mullein is a short-lived perennial that forms a rosette in its first season and then sends up a tall spike of purple, pink or white flowers, often reaching 1 m or more. The key to growing it is full sun and very well-drained, poor or alkaline soil, since it dislikes wet roots.
Verbascum phoeniceum, known as purple mullein, is a species of mullein that is part of the family Scrophulariaceae native to Central Europe, Central Asia and Western China. It is also naturalized in certain regions of the US and Canada. It successfully grows in USDA’s zones 4 to 8. It is a short-lived perennial species, and blooms earlier than other mullein species on average, producing vibrant purple-pink flowers; it can grow up to 1m or more.
Verbascum phoeniceum is cultivated as an ornamental plant, useful for adding vertical accents to the garden. It prefers alkaline or poor soil in a sunny position.
Several cultivars have been developed in a range of shades, including:
Verbascum phoeniceum is found in southern Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. It thrives in dry soils with full sunlight. Although they can tolerate moderate shade, they are unable to withstand soggy soils thereby requiring efficient water drainage. It can be found growing wild on hillsides, disturbed sites and woodlands in their native habitats. V. phoeniceum has been brought over to the US among other temperate regions and cultivated as an ornamental garden plant. It thrives in USDA’s hardiness zones 4-8, with possible natural occurrence in New York and Ohio where the winter temperatures are also required for seed germination after dormancy.
Moth Mullein · Annual Mullein · Broussa Mullein · Verbascum bugulifolium · Verbascum capitis-viridis · Nettle-leaf mullein · Cretan Mullein · Verbascum cystolithicum · Denseflower mullein · Verbascum dumulosum · Verbascum epixanthinum · Verbascum fruticulosum
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Verbascum phoeniceum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
