We had four self-sown plants appear in our garden last Spring. I transplanted them to another bed, where they had space to grow.
Around mid summer, we found one plant covered in blue and yellow caterpillars (Mullein moth), as we discovered. So I netted the plant to stop them demolishing all four and allowed them to munch away happily.
After they had gone to ground, I removed the netting and the plant grew and flowered again, albeit a smaller version. We're hoping the plants grow again this year.
That's lovely, I wonder if we will have the moth show up. I almost don't mind them eating the plants because I try to grow enough stuff that the odd plant goes unnoticed, as disappointing as it can be when they get eaten.
Fingers crossed you do have more of them again this year, I suspect if they set seed you will have them for many years to come.
If the verbascum is anything like the verbascums that self-seed here in our French garden it will run to seed as quickly as it flowers and will look pretty scraggy from beginning to end. Statuesque yes. Scraggy yes!
Interesting to read about your giant Mullein.
We had four self-sown plants appear in our garden last Spring. I transplanted them to another bed, where they had space to grow.
Around mid summer, we found one plant covered in blue and yellow caterpillars (Mullein moth), as we discovered. So I netted the plant to stop them demolishing all four and allowed them to munch away happily.
After they had gone to ground, I removed the netting and the plant grew and flowered again, albeit a smaller version. We're hoping the plants grow again this year.
That's lovely, I wonder if we will have the moth show up. I almost don't mind them eating the plants because I try to grow enough stuff that the odd plant goes unnoticed, as disappointing as it can be when they get eaten.
Fingers crossed you do have more of them again this year, I suspect if they set seed you will have them for many years to come.
If the verbascum is anything like the verbascums that self-seed here in our French garden it will run to seed as quickly as it flowers and will look pretty scraggy from beginning to end. Statuesque yes. Scraggy yes!