Mullein Verbascum 'Charles Harper'

👤 Non-toxic to humans

🐾 Non-toxic to pets

🌸 Blooming

🍪 Not edible

‍🌱 Easy-care

ABOUT

Verbascum 'Charles Harper' is a flowering plant distinguished by its striking appearance. The plant showcases a rosette of woolly, silvery-green leaves that form an attractive basal clump. From this rosette, stems emerge bearing a profusion of blooms. Its flowers exhibit a lovely gradation of color from peach to salmon-pink, with each individual blossom featuring a five-petaled, open-faced design centered around a prominent, often orange-hued stamen, giving the plant a cheerful and bright aspect. The foliage has a soft, felt-like texture, adding a tactile element to the plant's allure. The leaves are typically elongated and may have a slightly wavy edge, contributing to the overall lushness of the foliage. During its flowering period, the plant becomes a focal point in gardens due to the warm tones of its flowers, which are gracefully arranged along the stem in a dense, spike-like pattern. The blooming spikes of Verbascum 'Charles Harper' stand out against the foliage, offering contrast in both color and form, which can attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. The plant's overall appearance pairs well with other perennials in mixed borders, and its showy flowers can add vertical interest to the landscape, despite a specific mention of its size being avoided in this description.

Plant Info

Care

Common Problems

About this plant

Names
- Family
  Scrophulariaceae
- Synonyms
  Mullein, Velvet Plant
- Common names
  Verbascum 'Charles Harper'.
Toxicity
- To humans
  Mullein, commonly referred to in this cultivar as Verbascum 'Charles Harper', is not typically known for being toxic to humans. Generally, mullein is considered safe and is sometimes used in herbal medicine, primarily for its soothing effects on mucous membranes. However, care should be taken as individual sensitivity can vary and parts of the plant may cause irritation or allergic reactions in some people. There are no widespread reports of poisoning or severe toxicity from ingesting parts of the mullein plant.
- To pets
  Mullein, in its cultivar form Verbascum 'Charles Harper', is not recognized as a plant that is toxic to pets. It does not contain any known toxic compounds that would pose a risk to animals if ingested in small amounts. As with humans, there might be a risk of irritation or an allergic reaction in some pets, but this is not common. If a pet ingests a large amount of mullein, it could potentially lead to gastrointestinal discomfort or an upset stomach, as with any non-food plant material.
Characteristics
- Life cycle
  Biennials
- Foliage type
  Semi-deciduous
- Color of leaves
  Green
- Flower color
  Apricot
- Height
  2 feet 60 centimeters
- Spread
  1 foot 30 centimeters
- Plant type
  Herb
- Hardiness zones
  5
- Native area
  Europe

Benefits

General Benefits
- Attracts Pollinators: Verbascum 'Charles Harper' is known to attract bees and butterflies, which are essential for pollination.
- Drought Tolerance: This plant is well-suited for xeriscaping or gardens with low water availability as it is drought-resistant once established.
- Easy Maintenance: It requires minimal care, making it a good choice for gardeners of all skill levels.
- Architectural Interest: With its tall spires of flowers, it adds height and structure to garden beds and borders.
- Long Blooming Season: Provides a display of blooms from early to late summer, offering prolonged visual interest.
- Deer Resistant: Generally not favored by deer, it's a good option for gardens in areas with high deer populations.
- Versatility in Landscaping: Can be used in cottage gardens, gravel gardens, and traditional borders, providing flexibility in design.
- Seasonal Foliage: The plant's basal rosette of leaves remains attractive even when it's not in flower.
- Color Variety: Offers a range of colors from its soft peach to apricot flowers that can complement various garden palettes.
Medical Properties
This plant is not used for medical purposes.
Air-purifying Qualities
This plant is not specifically known for air purifying qualities.
Other Uses
- As a natural fabric dye: The flowers of the mullein plant can be used to produce a yellow or green dye, which can impart color to natural fabrics like cotton or wool.
- Photographic printing: The flowers contain natural dyes that can be used in alternative photographic printing processes, such as anthotype, which uses plant dyes to create images.
- Outdoor torches: Dried mullein stalks can be soaked in wax or tallow and used as torches due to their long and sturdy nature.
- Candle wicks: The fine seeds and fibers of mullein have been traditionally used as a wick in homemade candles.
- Lamp fuel: Mullein seed oil can be extracted and used as a fuel in oil lamps in a similar fashion to kerosene or vegetable oil.
- Tinder for fire starting: The dried fluffy leaves and seed pods are highly flammable, making mullein an excellent material for starting fires in survival situations.
- Horticultural fleece substitute: The velvety leaves can provide a form of natural insulation around tender plants to protect them from cold snaps.
- Fishing aid: Due to mullein's slippery mucilaginous properties, it can be used as a fish-slip to help handle slippery fish when catching them by hand.
- Livestock forage: Some farmers use mullein as an emergency forage crop for livestock like sheep and goats, although it shouldn’t be heavily relied upon.
- Sound insulation: The thick, velvety leaves have properties that can help dampen sound, and could potentially be used in soundproofing applications in an eco-friendly manner.

Interesting Facts

Feng Shui
The Mullein is not used in Feng Shui practice.
Zodiac Sign Compitability
The Mullein is not used in astrology practice.
Plant Symbolism
- Healing: members of the Verbascum genus, commonly known as Mullein, have historically been used in herbal medicine for their reputed soothing and respiratory healing properties.
- Protection: Mullein is often associated with protective qualities. Folklore suggests it was used to ward off evil spirits and negative energies.
- Love Divination: In some traditions, Mullein was used in rituals or spells to predict the future of a romantic relationship or to attract love.
- Courage: The sturdy, upright growth habit of Mullein has symbolized courage and resilience in various cultural contexts.

💧

Every 1-2 weeks

Water

☀️

2500 - 10000 Lux

Light

💦️

Humidity

🪴

Every 2-3 years

Repotting

🌱️

Spring-Early Summer

Propogation

✂️️

Not needed

Pruning

Water
Mullein, commonly known as Verbascum 'Charles Harper', should be watered deeply but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Provide about 1 gallon of water per plant every week during the growing season. In periods of drought or extreme heat, increase the frequency as needed, ensuring not to overwater as mullein is drought-tolerant and prefers well-drained soil. During the winter months, reduce watering significantly, especially if the plant is outdoors and receiving moisture from rain or snow.
Light
Mullein thrives in full sun exposure, ideally receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. The best spot for planting mullein is in an area that stays sun-drenched throughout the day to ensure it gets sufficient light, which is vital for its growth and flower production.
Temperature
Mullein is a hardy perennial, tolerating a wide range of temperatures. It can survive minimum temperatures down to about -20°F and can handle high temperatures well into the 90s°F. The ideal temperature range for growing mullein is between 60°F and 80°F, which promotes healthy growth and flowering.
Pruning
Prune mullein to remove spent flowers and encourage a second bloom. Deadheading the spent blooms throughout the growing season can also prevent the plant from self-seeding excessively. The best time to prune is immediately after the first flowering phase is over, often in early to mid-summer, depending on the climate.
Cleaning
As needed
Soil
The mullein 'Charles Harper' thrives best in a well-draining soil mix, rich in organic matter, with added perlite for improved aeration. The ideal soil pH for this plant is slightly acidic to neutral, ranging from 6.4 to 7.2. A mix of two parts loam, one part sand or perlite, and one part compost or well-rotted manure works well for this species.
Repotting
Mullein 'Charles Harper' does not require frequent repotting and can typically be repotted every 2-3 years. Ensure the new pot is only slightly larger than the previous one, as a significantly larger pot can lead to water retention and root rot.
Humidity & Misting
Mullein 'Charles Harper' is tolerant of a wide range of humidity levels and does well in average room humidity. It does not require high humidity environments and can thrive in drier conditions typical of most home indoor atmospheres.
Suitable locations
- Indoor
  Provide bright, indirect light and well-draining soil.
- Outdoor
  Place in full sun, well-drained soil, protect from strong winds.
- Hardiness zone
  5-9 USDA
Life cycle
Verbascum 'Charles Harper', commonly known as Mullein, begins its life cycle as a seed, which germinates in the spring when soil temperatures warm sufficiently. The seedlings quickly establish a basal rosette of leaves during their first year, focusing on vegetative growth. In its second year, the plant sends up a tall flowering stalk from the center of the leaf rosette; this flowering phase is characterized by spikes of brightly colored flowers that attract various pollinators. After pollination, the flowers develop into seed capsules, which mature and release seeds for the next generation. Mullein is typically a biennial plant, so after the seeds are dispersed, the original plant dies. Some varieties, including occasionally 'Charles Harper', may exhibit perennial tendencies, meaning that individual plants may survive and bloom over multiple years.
Propogation
- Propogation time
  Spring-Early Summer
- The most popular method of propagation for Verbascum 'Charles Harper', commonly known as Mullein, is by sowing seeds. The ideal time for sowing these seeds is in late spring or early summer when the soil has warmed up sufficiently. Sprinkle the tiny seeds on the surface of a well-draining seed-starting mix and lightly press them into the soil, as they need light to germinate. Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged, and place the container in a warm spot with bright, indirect sunlight. Germination typically occurs within 2 to 3 weeks. Once the seedlings have developed a couple of true leaves and are large enough to handle, they can be transplanted into individual pots before eventually being moved outdoors to their final growing positions.