Botanical name: Verbascum thapsus‍ ‍
Folk names: Candlewick plant, donkey’s ears

Type: Biennial

Wildlife: Pollen for bumblebees and visited by other insects including hoverflies. Female Wool Carder bees use hairs from the leaves to line her nest. Caterpillar plant of The Mullein moth.

Flowers: July to August

Decorative merit: Yellow flower spike about 30cm growing from a solitary stem up to 2m tall in its second year after planting. Grows from a rosette of large, soft, silvery leaves.  

Where: Sun and part-shade. Middle of border, mini meadow and wilder patches. Tolerates chalk and sandy soils. Flowers best in poor, dry soil.

Folklore: Dried stems were dipped in tallow and burned to give light at outdoor gatherings. Carrying mullein was believed to ward off wild beasts, curses and evil spirits, and Ulysses carried it to shield him from the powers of Circe.

Donate seeds to Exeter Seed Bank