Leafy branching stems, each terminated with drooping clusters of dark ruby-red buds from which flowers open and appear pink, mauve or blue depending on their age.
Forms a good sized clump without being invasive.
Originally introduced from the Caucasus as a feed plant for pigs, rabbits and goats and is now found throughout Europe.
Height and spread: 45cm x 60cm
Common name(s): Rough comfrey; Prickly comfrey; Forage comfrey
Symphytum:
As seen from the common names, it has long been used as a herbal cure, edible vegetable and animal fodder. It has also been used as a compost maker and plant food. An early use was in setting bones, the roots being ground to a paste and used in the way plaster of Paris is used today. The name comfrey comes from the Latin 'Conferre', meaning to bring together. Symphytum comes from the Greek 'Symphyo' - to make whole. All are useful for shady positions, although they will also grow in sun, preferring some moisture.
All our plants are supplied in 9cm pots unless otherwise specified. Plants in this size pot establish quickly in the garden and often outpace plants in bigger pots planted at the same time. Our potted plants can be planted immediately, unless otherwise noted, or you can leave them in their pots until you are ready to plant.
The majority of our plants are grown outdoors. This means that they follow their natural growth patterns and are ready to plant at any time of the year. If you order the plants in winter, they are likely to be dormant and died back to ground level, ready to shoot again in spring - just like the herbaceous perennials in your own garden. Very occasionally, in winter and early spring, we may indicate on the packing slip that a plant needs to be hardened off before planting out. This will be because it has just come out of a polytunnel. If you have any questions about our plants or growing methods, please feel free to drop us an email.
We grow most of what we sell ourselves, in our nursery in the Buckinghamshire countryside. Our prices include VAT at 20%.
Please note: We do our best to provide acurate photographs of the plants we sell, but colours display differently on different screens, printers and in different light and we cannot guarantee that what you are seeing on your screen, or on the plant label provided, will exactly match the plant when it flowers in your garden. Plant dimensions are given as a guide only and the actual sizes reached may vary from garden to garden, depending on local conditions.
