perennial > COMFREY
IN THIS GUIDE
COMFREY GUIDES
Comfrey vs BorageFertiliser – For TomatoesGrowing From SeedHarvestingRoot CuttingsVarieties
patent and humble , yet bursting with goodness and vitality – that ’s comfrey in a nutshell .
Though the small flowers own their own rustic charm , this plant ’s virtues are all hard-nosed .
It is renowned for improving territory health , and its nutrient - rich foliage allow raw material for high - tone compost and fertiliser.1Howard , M. M. , Plotkin , A. , McClure , A. , Klepac - Ceraj , V. , Griffith , A. B. , Brabander , D. J. , & Jones , K. L. ( 2018 ) . Comfrey Mulch Enriches Soil , But Does Not Improve an Indicator Crop within One Season . International Journal of Plant and Soil Science,22(2 ) , 1–9.https://doi.org/10.9734 / ijpss/2018/40403
Overview
PreferredFull Sun or Partial Shade
ExposureExposed or shelter
Height1 – 1.5 chiliad
Spread1 – 1.5 megabyte
Bloom TimeJune – August
PreferredMost filth types
MoistureMoist but well drained
pHAny
Comfrey , aboriginal to the UK and Europe , is one of the more lowly and unappreciated members of the Plant Kingdom.2Common comfrey . ( n.d . ) . The Wildlife Trusts . retrieve March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/common-comfrey
“ It is not only clear whether it ’s aboriginal to the UK or not , but comfrey is still a brilliant works for bees and other pollinator , ” share Dave Goulson , an expert on all things bee .
Not by any stretch a glamor works that you will notice in a fashionable flush garden , comfrey is the floral equivalent of a cult classical moving picture .
Thus – though it is indeed relatively unknown and even base – thisdeciduous perennialhas its own limited but very devoted following among wise , ‘ back to nature ’ nurseryman .
For the most part , comfrey ’s cult status is not because of its ornamental oomph but because of its drawn-out lean of practical uses.3Comfrey : Its chronicle , Uses & Benefits . ( n.d . ) . Permaculture . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/comfrey-its-history-uses-benefits/
Apart from leaf and the flowers , comfrey is one of those rarefied flora whose hush-hush part deserve a few words .
It has rhizomatous fleshy roots , the upper parts of which resemble tuberous veggie or root vegetables .
Among these is a foresighted taproot that penetrates very deep so as to ‘ tap ’ potassium , calcium and other mineral elements from rich down , bring these up to the foliage ( which is the ground that comfrey leaves are rich in mineral and chemical compounds).4Stallings , B. ( 2014 , March 17).Does Comfrey Really ameliorate Soil?The Permaculture Research Institute . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.permaculturenews.org/2024-12-11/comfrey-really-improve-soil/
In addition , the fledged industrial plant ’s tooth root system is well - formed and all-embracing .
Here are some picture of comfrey produce in my garden :
you’re able to see the plant is in flower during the early summer months , in recent June .
Habitat & Growing Conditions
Symphytum species are found throughout Eurasia , from the United Kingdom and Spain east up to West Siberia in the due north and Iran to the south.5Symphytum officinale . ( n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Gardens . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:120815-1
Moist ground , especially along riverbanks and waterway , is this genus ’s favored habitat .
It is also found in the grasslands and steppes of the Caucasus .
A ground pH of slightly acidic to neutral , i.e. 6.1 - 7.3 , is consider to be ideal for Symphytums though this tough plant will do well in any soil pH from about 5.1 - 8.4 , which is a very wide range .
A fully hardy flora , almost all species are audacious down to H7 .
How To Grow Comfrey
average this flora might be but some or another form will be get at your vicinity nursery .
The larger garden centres strain most of the commonly grown varieties .
legion healing herb varieties are available online .
In any event , if a Quaker or relative has comfrey , you do n’t need to buy it .
Simply get a 15 curium root cutting and you ’ll have a new comfrey industrial plant !
Comfrey ego - selects itself forcottage gardens , wild flower garden , and kitchen gardens by virtuousness of its prosaic but sympathetic visual aspect , combine with its beneficial value .
acres gardens and court gardens ? plausibly not !
While the sterile and non - spreading change can be grown in open ground , it may be heady to grow theself - seeding and speedily - spread out speciesin large containers .
Care & Growing Tips
You really do n’t need to ‘ arise ’ comfrey – this vigorous plant life will spring up by itself .
Indeed , occasionally some specie become invasive and hard to eradicate .
A plentiful , fertile loam , which may be a balanced intermixture of sand , chalk , corpse and constituent manure , is ideal for comfrey .
right drainage is preferred but comfrey is one of those plants that can live with poorly - drain soil .
They prefer systematically dampish – though not waterlogged – soil .
The mintage prefer part tone or dappled sunlight whereas some cultivars do well in full Dominicus .
Avoid pruning / harvesting the leaves for the first class so that the plant ’s ancestor arrangement can build up and get established .
you’re able to glean the foliage after the plant has reached half its maximal height .
Do so by grasping a handful of foliage and slue them 8 - 10 centimeter off the flat coat using a sharp tongue or largeish pruning shears .
If you care comfrey flowers , cut off back the stem after blossoming is done and you may get a rebloom .
Comfrey is a remarkably disease - free plant life .
lick and snail may attack it and occasionally it can buckle under to powdery mildew but that ’s about it in the UK .
Background & Origins
Symphytum officinaleor vernacular comfrey has become naturalize in the plains province of the United Kingdom and in a few region of South America .
Plants of this species were likely carried by the earliest British , Spanish , and other European migrants to the New World .
Symphytum genus comfreys are not to be confused with wild comfrey .
‘ Wild comfrey ’ is , in fact , the common name ofCynoglossum virginianum , a plant life that is native to the United States.6Cynoglossum virginianum . ( n.d . ) . The University of Texas at Austin . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=cyvi
It is come to to Symphytum comfreys as it too is a member of the Borage Family .
