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Post by rowanberry on Aug 8, 2019 19:24:59 GMT
I was able to track down a plant seller with some comfrey plug plants for sale on Ebay, and they were able to confirm with their supplier that these are the type with grow wild in the UK (Symphytum officinale) so I hope they were right. At the moment I've also got the Bocking hybrid, along with White Comfrey, S. orientale... thanks to Aeshna for identifying that one for me!
It's interesting that the Bocking always seems to get some sort of mildew on it every year, while the other two show no signs of it. The plugs have grown quite large, but no indications of flowering yet- I don't think they are going to this year, but I think they are well-established enough to survive the winter. They've got another two months of warm weather to get a good root system going.
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Post by NellyDee on Aug 9, 2019 8:55:11 GMT
Having a wee laugh re you buying wild comfrey. I also bought a couple of plugs from a garden speialist on the Black Isle. They only grow and sell native wild flowers and herbs. I am now trying to get some sort of control over it, it has spred like wild fire all over the garden area and even up the back area. Apart from digging it up from where I do not want it, its actual spred out as a plant drapes over all my other herbs. Someone suggested that I cut it right back once it had flowered, which I did and blow me down up shot new growth. Anyway if you want it to flower twice in the season do just that.
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Post by rowanberry on Aug 9, 2019 18:57:11 GMT
I know... I feel the same when I see Lesser Celendine for sale in the garden centre. That stuff is simply everywhere in my garden- they could come and dig up as much as they wanted of it for free! I had it coming up in with the pot plants this year- not sure how it managed that.
The only other things growing in the 'herb' patch along with the comfrey are two self-seeded Mallows, and a hemlock plant which grew to a huge height... I cut it before it went to seed last month, (don't really need that coming up all over the garden.  The patch is under three conifers, so it's shady for part of the day and I've had trouble getting anything to grow there- the soil isn't great.
I did cut back the Bocking comfrey, but we're not having enough sun at the moment for it to grow very much- it's about the size of plug plant in the photo.
The cashier today in Wilko was complaining that summer seems to be finished already. I certainly hope she's wrong!
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Post by rowanberry on Oct 28, 2019 21:09:29 GMT
I cut the comfrey back last month, but it's having a late growth spurt. I need to get to the woods and get a bag of oak leaves to cover them with before a frost.
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Post by NellyDee on Oct 29, 2019 15:38:23 GMT
I have cut back the Comfrey here twice, it really is growing like a 'weed' and now appears all over the garden in the borders and even somehow got down to the lower ground and the pond. I have no need to collect leaves, just like them all appearing at once in the spring, they seem to have decided to get rid of their leaves all within a week. Everywhere is covered with layers of golden and brown leaves and tiny needles, the bane of my life as they seem to be able to get through air vents in the windows. I think it is the earliest there has been so many leaves on the ground and filling the gutters. I have to say that leading up to it was spectacular colours, especially when the sun did decide to shine on and off.
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Post by rowanberry on Oct 31, 2019 10:13:56 GMT
Since the original Boking comfrey plants are non-seeding, the same ones come up every year but they don't spread.
These ones still growing are the plug plants I bought several months ago- the native Comfrey, and although they never had time to flower they did grow really well.
I need them to survive the winter so that hopefully I'll eventually have lots of little comfrey seedling! Your garden is very spacious, so I doubt I'll have the problems you do with it coming up everywhere... our garden is narrow and so over-shaded I don't think it would be able to take over with any great success. I might be wrong, but I think it needs more light than it would get here. (The lesser Celendine manages it quite well!)
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The patch is under three conifers, so it's shady for part of the day and I've had trouble getting anything to grow there- the soil isn't great. 
