I tried a couple of years ago, planting Verbascum bombyciferum 'Arctic Summer' but they started pushing out their blooms just about the time that we got a nasty freeze. No flowers, but a dead plant just the same.
Last spring I planted three tiny Verbascum olympicum…
They grew slowly over the summer but things really kicked into gear early this spring…
And finally I’ve got the tall candelabra spikes I’ve been dreaming of!
One plant split into these three…
This one remained a single.
Look how big the plant itself has become…
This sad little one was planted at the same time as the other two. It was shaded all through last summer by the Tetrapanax, which probably stole some of its water too.
Just as well, maybe it can muster the drive to bloom next year, we can’t have all the biennials do their thing in the same summer and leave nothing for the future!
Although with all these Verbascum flowers…
…there are bound to be plenty of seedlings in my future.
This little Verbascum in a neighbors parking strip is the offspring of a previous plant in her garden.
I love its serrated leaves.
I still want the crazy, loopy, zig-zag blooms of the V. bombyciferum 'Arctic Summer'…like the ones in this photo taken at Xera Plants last week.
The wooly stems are pretty great too…
So of course I’m trying again, V. bombyciferum 'Arctic Summer' planted about a month ago…gotta love the Verbascum!
How tall are the blooms? They look like they are over six feet from here!
ReplyDeleteEasily over 6ft I'd say the tallest one is more like 9ft...
DeleteBeautiful!! I had Verbascum olympicum the last two years but this year it didn't come back. Too bad because there's nothing like this massive fuzzy stalk packed with cheery flowers.
ReplyDeleteYou can always buy another one (or three)! Annie's has them I think...
Deletearg! blogger! wtf! ate my comment...
ReplyDeleteSo cool Loree! These two year plant projects are so exciting when they come to fruition. My Arctic Summer plants are at least eight feet tall! I love your olympicum and I'm happy to say I just got one from Derick. I'm also raising Verbascum epixanthemum from seed. Annie's just introduced that one, check it out.
Oh I like that Verbascum epixanthemum very much...maybe if you end up with too many I could talk you out of one, or two...
DeleteI really love your front garden! its splendid!
ReplyDeleteThank you Louis...truth be told though I'm kind of disappointed that it's not "epic"...ah well, give me something to strive for.
DeleteI think it deserves an epic. maybe even splendidly epic. I'm super jealous of all those spikes. But I had an amazing thing happen today... My nephew came over and made a "danger zone" poster at the front door.
DeleteI love that! I hope you took a picture of the sign and will share it on your blog. And I'm pretty sure I don't deserve 'splendidly epic'...but I like it!
DeleteMy AT&T gift card arriving at the end of last week allowed me to order an Arctic Summer yesterday! I loved seeing your older photos of it.
ReplyDeleteToo bad this next shipment won't go out until next Monday.
Yay for plant orders...nothing like new plants!
DeleteThe verbascums look great and so does the front garden in its second summer! Biennials are such a kick when they finally bloom. I don't know who you think you're kidding about verbascum seedlings next year though, what with you being such a garden neat-nick and all...
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane...and you never know, I actually like the way the dead Verbascum look out in the wild, maybe...just maybe...I can let them be long enough to see seedlings.
DeleteHow sturdy are those stalks? I have a feeling they'd be horizontal in my garden. I also suspect that critters would devour them just before the stalks expanded. Perhaps it's better if I just admire the ones in your garden. :-)
ReplyDeleteAlan, we've had some pretty heavy rain in the past week in the Portland area. Some of my plants, like my shasta daisies and my showy milkweed, got blown over, but my tall Verbascums are fine.
DeleteI second what Ryan said. I've had lots of plants flop with our wind and rain but these guys are VERY sturdy. V. bombyciferum 'Arctic Summer' likes to be all floppy but these stand up straight!
DeleteLiked the verbascum / romneya combo with the dwarf evergreens.
ReplyDeleteWasn't that just the best? I actually stood there for quite a while just staring until I realized I had my camera with me and should take a picture!
DeleteI've loved and grown this verbascum for over 10 years. I have only had to sow them once. They have come back reliably from seed every year. Its one of those plants that make you so thankful and grateful that they are growing in your garden.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog. I visit here often and you always makes me smile.
Thank you, everyone can use more smiles...could to know I might occasionally be the source.
DeleteI love the picture of your garden from the street - your neighbors must love driving by... I know I would! And that gigantic plant may be the craziest plant I have ever seen! Bold!
ReplyDeleteWe've got a park at the end of the street and a lot of people walk by en-route with their dogs. There are those that notice and stop to look and those that just walk on by without a second glance.
DeleteOccasionally there are the people who stop and look so long and so hard that if I see them I go out and chat...I LOVE it when that happens!
Love verbascums! I think they blend in so well in xeric style gardens as much as they do in cottage gardens. Hopefully you'll get a good crop of seedlings popping up next year from those flower spikes :)
ReplyDeleteGreat point about their versatility, they really do work with just about every garden style.
DeleteVery neat plant! I've never noticed them in garden centres around here, but then again I've never looked!
ReplyDeleteThey are pretty hard plants (zone 4/5) so I bet they'd work for you...they can be weeds out here, you should try and track down a couple!
DeleteI love that plant. I wonder how it would do in Austin? Keep meaning to try mullein too.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your front garden is really filling in and looking good!