new plants...basal rosette...Mullein...Verbascum thapsus... is biennial.

Is this plant the one you were talking about, Lori? That's the one that had the ice crystals in your other picture, right?

Yes Skippy...this is it!

It looks nice and juicy!

Mullein grows wild here...but I have gathered the seeds and started them too...they are a very dramatic looking plant...

I love them when they are in their hay days, Catfinch...if they have a downside it's the fact that when they finish...they brown up and die...standing in the middle of your border!! Be prepared to pull them once they peak. put a plastic bag over the seed head to capture the seeds...they are similar in size to poppy seed... They are a very useful medicinal herb too...

Hi Celandine... those leaves are just like velvet...very hairy plant...soft a moleskin.

I wondered why the ones I put in this year didn't shoot up. Hope they are there next season, some are mulched pretty well.

they are biennial GT... they will set seed next season. the first year they look like this pic...next year they will be 8 to 10 ft tall!!

Ooooo, I'm so excited!

I love the leaves of Verbascum more than the flowers. So soft and silky looking and so large! Trouble is here the caterpillars destroy them.
I have never used them medicinally. What do you use them for most?

My knowledge of their medicinal value comes from reading...no direct personal experience ...used as a treatment for tuberculosis, coughs and congestion. They will grow on the poorest sandy soil. The only downside that I see is their lifespan...once the seed is set the plant dies..they become brown dessicated stocks... dead but still standing...the chickadees and the downy woodpeckers just love them.