Verbascum Seeds | Southern Charm

How to Grow

Plant Verbascum seeds indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost date. Lightly press the flower seeds into the soil, but do not cover with soil since the seeds need light to germinate. Keep constantly moist, not wet, and the herb seeds will germinate in 14 - 21 days. For outdoor sowing, wait until frost danger has passed, and sow ornamental mullein seeds directly into prepared seed bed. Spacing should be about 12 - 20 inches apart.

• Sowing Rate: 3 - 4 seeds per plant
• Depth: Do not cover the seed but press into the soil
• Moisture: Keep seeds moist until germination
• Average Germ Time: 14 - 21 days

Flower Specifications

Verbascum Mullein will bloom the first year if the flower seeds are sown early enough in the season. Flowers can be left on to self-seed or can be deadheaded to encourage more blooming.

• Plant Spacing: 12 - 20 inches
• Height: 24 - 30 inches
• USDA Zones: 5 - 8
• Season: Perennial

Verbascum (Verbascum x Hybrida Southern Charm) - Unique blend of soft flower colors and highly textured, "fuzzy" foliage. It is both deer and rabbit resistant, and butterflies love it! Verbascum flowers are excellent for cutting as well. A very low maintenance plant this is heat and drought tolerant growing 24 - 30 inches tall.  Also called, "ornamental mullein."

How To Grow Mullein From Seed: Plant Mullein seeds indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost date. Lightly press the Verbascum flower seeds into the soil, but do not cover with soil since the seeds need light to germinate. Keep constantly moist, not wet, and the herb seeds will germinate in 14 - 21 days. For outdoor sowing, wait until frost danger has passed, and sow  ornamental mullein seeds directly into prepared seed bed. Spacing should be about 12 - 20 inches apart. Verbascum Mullein will bloom the first year if the flower seeds are sown early enough in the season. Flowers can be left on to self-seed or can be deadheaded to encourage more blooming.

Verbascum (Verbascum Bombyciferum Arctic Summer) - A wonderful addition to any flower garden, this 5 foot tall Silver Mullein is extremely tough and drought tolerant. Lemon yellow, 2 inch blooms are held on amazing 2 foot tall candelabra-like spikes densely covered in white fur, lasting for months. If you want even more flower spikes, just cut it back and more will appear! This bienneial has silvery, 3 - 5 foot wide silvery foliage is covered in white down. Grows best in well-drained, poor to average soils and will keep reseeding itself! To enjoy the leaves for themselves-pinch out flowering shoots for several years.

Plant in full sun in any well-drained soil with regular to only occasional irrigation until establishment. After establishment it is quite drought tolerant though grows larger with an occasional watering and will tolerate regular irrigation if soil drains very well. This hardy plant will survive temperatures well below 0F and some  say it can tolerate temperatures clear down to -30F. A great plant for its foliage in the dry garden and in flower it becomes a stunning flowering accent - since it is a biennial, it will usually die after flowering but often self-sows its seeds in the garden to perpetuate itself. It is attractive to butterflies and the fuzzy leaves make it resistant to deer and other animals. Why the name Artic Summer? It is fitting as it appears to be covered with a silver-gray frost even in mid-summer. This plant is also referred to as: Polar Summer, Silver Lining, Turkish Mullein and Giant Silver Mullein and Broussa Mullein in England. 

How To Grow Mullein From Seed: Plant Mullein seeds indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost date. Lightly press the Verbascum flower seeds into the soil, but do not cover with soil since the seeds need light to germinate. Keep constantly moist, not wet, and the herb seeds will germinate in 14 - 21 days. For outdoor sowing, wait until frost danger has passed, and sow  ornamental mullein seeds directly into prepared seed bed. Spacing should be about 18 - 24 inches apart. Verbascum Mullein will bloom the first year if the flower seeds are sown early enough in the season. Flowers can be left on to self-seed or can be deadheaded to encourage more blooming.

Verbascum (Verbascum chaixii Wedding Candles) - This variety grows 3 - 4 feet tall with a stunning array of flowers.  Not only is the white flowering plant easy to grow and fast to establish, it is drought tolerant and deer tend to avoid eating it. It blooms continuously Spring thru Fall (as long as you deadhead spent flowers). You’ll love its pristine white flowers centered with fetching fuzzy purple stamens and bright orange anthers. Many gardeners like to plant them in the border or rock garden as specimens or en masse for a meadow-like planting. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its oval leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the season.

This Mullein will grow to be about 3 - 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in mass or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and tends to be biennial, meaning that it puts on vegetative growth the first year, flowers the second, and then dies. However, this species tends to self-seed and will thereby endure for years in the garden if allowed. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen! This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils.

How To Grow Mullein From Seed: Plant Mullein seeds indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost date. Lightly press the Verbascum flower seeds into the soil, but do not cover with soil since the seeds need light to germinate. Keep constantly moist, not wet, and the herb seeds will germinate in 14 - 21 days. For outdoor sowing, wait until frost danger has passed, and sow  ornamental mullein seeds directly into prepared seed bed. Spacing should be about 18 - 24 inches apart. Verbascum Mullein will bloom the first year if the flower seeds are sown early enough in the season. Flowers can be left on to self-seed or can be deadheaded to encourage more blooming.

Verbascum (Verbascum phoeniceum Violetta) - Verbascums are eye-catching, drought-tolerant plants with felted, silver-grey rosettes of large leaves. Tall, furry flower spikes emerge bearing wide-open, in early to midsummer. Plants self-seed readily. A very low maintenance plant for the bed or border. They are not fussy about soil, are drought tolerant, deer and snail resistant, grow in sun to partial shade.

This variety is a compact perennial verbascum, bearing unusual rich purple blooms, followed by attractive seedheads, that gradually darken to a reddish-black. It’s ideal for growing in a sunny mixed or herbaceous border, and is also suitable for growing in containers.

How To Grow Mullein From Seed: Plant Mullein seeds indoors 6 - 8 weeks before last frost date. Lightly press the Verbascum flower seeds into well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil soil, but do not cover with soil since the seeds need light to germinate. Keep constantly moist, not wet, and the herb seeds will germinate in 14 - 21 days. For outdoor sowing, wait until frost danger has passed, and sow ornamental mullein seeds directly into prepared seed bed. Spacing should be about 18 - 24 inches apart. Verbascum Mullein will bloom the first year if the flower seeds are sown early enough in the season. Flowers can be left on to self-seed or can be deadheaded to encourage more blooming. Cut old flowering stems to ground level to prolong flowering.