Comfrey in bloom May 2009. It is now over three feet tall!
This spring marks the third year for the comfrey plant I have growing in a corner by our deck. As of right now it is in full bloom and I just love it. Last year I wrote about all the wonderful uses comfrey has. It is a powerhouse herb for both in the garden as well as the home. I decided to grow it in our garden because of all its useful ways. There is just one slight problem though. I can’t seem to bring myself to harvest it!
I love how the flowers are curled up tight and then slowly unfurl as they bloom.
I find it to be too pretty when it is in flower to cut it down for mulch and liquid fertilizer. I just can’t seem to do it! I have read that one can get a harvest off of comfrey about every 30 days during the growing season so it is not like it will not be back if I cut it down and yet I still do not touch it.
Pretty in pink once the flowers open
Yet another reason I leave it alone is for the bumblebees. Last year they were in love with this comfrey plant as much as I was. So far this year the comfrey flowers have remained unvisited by the bumblebees but it still might be a little early for them.
The flowers remind me of little petticoats- perhaps for some fairies to try on?
I keep telling myself that I will allow it to flower right now for the bumblebees as well as my own enjoyment but then I must use it for what it is being grown for. I do this to myself all the time really. I grow a particular plant for some useful reason and then find I cannot bring myself to harvest it. I end up falling in love with the sight of it in my garden and cannot bring myself to cut away at it. For instance, I have been known to not harvest all the various thymes I grow because then I will miss the sight of their lovely flowers that blanket the entire plant. I am far too kind in my garden and need to grow some thicker skin. After all, who am I gardening for? The plants seem to be winning….
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