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….
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Cynthia, what a beautiful plant, and you managed to show its beauty so well that I want it in my garden right now! Great images! Thank you!
Thank you Tatyana!
Be sure to read my other post on this herb if you are interested in growing it as it really is useful to have in the garden as well as being pretty. Just remember to place it in a spot that is going to be permanent because it grows just like horseradish- if you leave just a bit of root behind in the soil a new plant will pop up. Thanks again! -Cynthia
I love this comfrey plant !
What zones can it exist in? Do you know?
I am in central Texas, zone 8b. The foliage reminds me of the mexican petunia, but the blooms are great!
Regards.
ESP
Hi ESP, it is a very hardy perennial that can withstand temperatures all the way down to -40 degrees! So I am sure it will do just fine in your zone 8b garden. And just for reference its hardiness zones are listed as being 3-11. It is very easy to grow too.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
-Cynthia
I’ve heard of comfrey, but never seen it. It really does have pretty flowers. I’d have a hard time cutting it back too.
Glad to hear I am not the only one Catherine that!
Ditto what Tatyana said. Beautiful shots make me want one for the herb garden we are planting right now. It will have to wait til next year, though. I’m assuming it’s a perennial.
~Faith
Hi Faith and thanks for visiting my blog. You are correct, it is a perennial. A practically carefree one at that! I would recommend it to anyone for their herb garden as long as they realize it will never go away once it is established. -Cynthia
Mine is in bud right now. I have in infertile plant (Blocking 14). If yours can actually breed you really want to cut it down right now. It is supposed to be pretty invasive if it can set seed.
Hi Daphne, This time last year mine was still in bud so it seems to be flowering a little early this year which I find interesting. Thanks for bringing up a key point I forgot to mention about this herb. It does hold the potential to become invasive either by root cuttings or possibly even seed. Thankfully I always research before I plant and I do not have an invasive comfrey. -Cynthia
That is one beautiful plant!
Thank you Racquel.
Oh so true – I can’t even chop down sage. I also rescue insects in distress. I’m probably much worse than you are! I heard that Cherokee indians used Comfrey – an interesting talk including the medicine wheel and how north south east and west are organizing principles. So much to learn!
Gorgeous photographs!
Thank you Country Mouse and thanks for stopping by my blog.
I also find it interesting that Comfrey has been taken internally for hundreds of years for medicinal purposes but it is now not recommended to do so.
My youngest son is the insect rescuer in our house! I am not allowed to squash a spider when I find one. Instead I must take it outside and release it because “they are our friends and keep other bugs at bay”.
-Cynthia
Cynthia,
Your photos are just lovely. I purchased this plant late last year, so I was only able to enjoy a short, sporadic bloom. After seeing your photos, I don’t think I will be able to harvest it, either. Over the weekend I found another variety, Symphytum x uplandicum, whose red buds open to sky blue flowers. The buds are very tiny right now, but I am really looking forward to their bloom.
Hi Liisa, Your newest Comfrey sounds lovely! I can just imagine the blue flowers against the green foliage. I must keep my eyes out for this one! When I first purchased my Comfrey I was amazed at how much it grew in one year. Good luck with both of yours.
-Cynthia
What a pretty plant; I too, love how it’s curled up and then opens up into tube-like ‘pettycoats’! I don’t think I could bring myself to cut it when it’s flowering, either! How lovely!
Hi Jan, I harvested a few leaves from the bottom of my Comfrey this weekend while out gardening and I had to make myself do it too. LOL When I transplant a plant into the garden I like to place a few torn up comfrey leaves in the hole. When the leaves break down they give the new transplant some much appreciated nutrients. I love all the uses for this plant! -Cynthia
I don’t blame you one bit! I wouldn’t be able to cut it either. I sure love the look of it when it’s curled up like that- very unique indeed. Know where I can find some seeds to this variety? I’d hate to end up with an invasive one! Thanks for stopping by today, if you decide to try and make long paper pots and need any help, just let me know. I almost made mine from paper towel or tp rolls- folding up the bottom to keep the soil in. Good luck and happy gardening
Hi Tessa and thanks for the nice comment. Here is a source for the ‘Blocking 14′ comfrey. The link is for Horizon Herbs and they are located right here in Oregon and I highly recommend them. They are very informative and friendly.
Once again thanks for paying my blog a visit.
OK, now I’ve added comfrey to the list of things I need. Your photos are gorgeous.
Thank you Victoria. I was envying the photos of your garden just recently. Lovely garden you have there in Idaho!
I’ve never grown comfrey and don’t know much about it… but, I agree, the blossoms are beautiful. Maybe I’ll attempt to grow it in my container garden next year. Cheers!
You know if you had a few more plants scattered around you might be more likely to harvest it. Comfrey really does grow back quickly! When I first started cutting it I was like you, rather reluctant to do so, so I did it like leaf lettuce, stealing some and leaving the rest. I think the plant actually looks better if cut.
Nice pictures of an oft overlooked garden addition.