Symphytum officinale
Comfrey can be found running merrily all around my yard. It stands up splendidly to dogs and wildlife. Comfrey stays in bloom for a long time, making it a real favourite with visiting birds and bees.
In Gaia’s Garden, Toby Hemenway calls Comfrey ” a quintessential permaculture plant”
Description
Comfrey is ever so much more than a pretty face!. I consider it to be one of … if not THE .. most useful plant in my garden.
Setting aside my preference for purple flowers, comfrey is a nurturing campanion plant, enriches the soil and makes an excellent ‘green’ tea for fertilizing the garden.
And that does not even begin to touch on its practical uses!
Helpful Hint … early in the season, comfrey might look like more like a weed and less like the beautiful plant it will quickly become
Growing Information
Zones 3 – 8
Hardy, upright leafy perennial
Purple flowers, blooms from May until first frost
Will grow 2 to 3 feet in poor soil, to 5 feet when well nourished
Prefers full sun but can get by anywhere
Spreads easily …. indeed you will not be able to prevent that
Varieties
In my yard, I grow Common Comfrey. The original seed for that came from Richters and at the time they were offering a Russian variety as well
Now they offer two strains of the Russian variety, Bocking 4 and Bocking 14, primarily for the commercial grower market.
Notes
The most important thing to remember about starting Comfrey in a home garden is that, once started, Comfrey is difficult if not impossible to get rid of.
So be very sure that you want comfrey popping up everywhere before planting. The flip side of that of course is that Comfrey is sturdy enough to stand up to any amount of foot traffic, pet digging and whatever else real life can dish out.