Verbascum phoeniceum

Beautiful I have just bought 4 of these for 1.00 each in sick bay, hope the snails dont get them.

Well, the slugs seem to leave these alone so hopefully snails will too!

Oh thank you Wagger for that assurance that has made me happy.

But you do have to watch out for little caterpillars that will strip them in no time. As I know to my cost !!

They'll never find it, Cinderella! LOL. Are they the same little caterpillars that also strip an aquilegia before you can turn round?

I don't know, I haven't had experience of that as this is the first year I have had acquilegia. But verbascum can be ok one day and the next they are covered in the little blighters.

I remember caterpillars devastating a verbascum bombyciferum a few years ago - they were big (after they'd eaten the plant) and were black and yellow. What colour are the 'little blighters'?

Black and yellow !

Ah ha! Well, now we both know what they look like - I wonder what they turn into. We need Toto!!! Just had a whiz around on google and think they were Mullein moth caterpillars, which would make sense!

Some of them are so tiny, I have picked off a dozen or more at one time. No sign of them yet though as mine are not in flower. Well some smaller ones are, but it is my big verbascums that seem to get hit.

I'll keep an eye out then.