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COMFREY GUIDES

Symphytum officinale with white flowers in a woodland area

Comfrey vs BorageFertiliser – For TomatoesGrowing From SeedHarvestingRoot CuttingsVarieties

Comfrey , a member of the Borage Family , is made up of 35 different metal money , all belong to Symphytum.1Comfrey ( Genus Symphytum ) . ( n.d . ) . iNaturalist United Kingdom . find March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://uk.inaturalist.org/taxa/55725-Symphytum

They attain heights of about 50 - 125 atomic number 96 .

lilac comfrey flowers growing on symphytum x uplandicum plant in an overgrown area

The dissimilar species ’ foliation occurs in somewhat different spectre of super acid , including promising average Green River , deep dark unripened , and glazed greyish - green .

However , all divvy up a common distinctive feature film in that the foliage – leaves , stalks and petioles – is visibly and palpably hairy .

The leaves , deeply etched with nervure , are elliptical and 20 - 25 cm in length .

a moth sat on the pink flowers of a comfrey plant

Those ofSymphytum officinalehave a more marked elliptical bod than those of other varieties .

In May and June , the plant produce 1 - 2 centimetre pendent flowers mold like tube-shaped chime .

In shades of cream , yellowish , lilac , imperial or pinkish , they are sometimes bicoloured with the upper or basal half being white or off - white and the lower or outward one-half in some shade of blue , pinkish , or purpleness .

bright blue comfrey flowers with dark green foliage in the background

1) Common Comfrey

This multifariousness has a clumping and spreading riding habit .

Its flowers are either cream or in a colour in the pink through regal spectrum .

This same species that grow blue flowers is identified by a specific name : S. officinaleblue - flowered or Blue - Flowered Common Comfrey .

beautiful blue flowers and dark green foliage of Symphytum caucasicum

2) Caucasian Comfrey

This plant has an erect substance abuse and unfold speedily .

It is native to Iran , Georgia and surrounding region of Eurasia.2Comfrey ( Caucasian ) . ( n.d . ) . Wild Flower Finder . retrieve March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowers/C/Comfrey(Caucasian)/Comfrey(Caucasian).htm

It attains a tallness of about 60 atomic number 96 and put up lilac - sorry flowers that are ofttimes pink as buds .

green dwarf comfrey foliage on a woodland floor

3) Dwarf Comfrey

A shaggy-coated drug abuse and one of the less - invasive species .

It is aboriginal to the UK and Europe.3Symphytum grandiflorum . ( n.d . ) . North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox . recollect March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/symphytum-grandiflorum/

It may reach a height of only about 40 cm with a spread of 60 cm .

creeping Symphytum grandiflorum growing in woodland with light pink flowers in springtime

Flowers are a rich cream shade but are an equally rich pink as bud .

4) Iberian Comfrey

Another dwarf species but has a public exposure , ramify habit .

It originates from Turkey and the surrounding Caucasus region.4Symphytum ibiricum . ( n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Gardens . call back March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:120793-1

It too reaches a height of about 40 cm with a spread of about 60 cm .

pink Russian Comfrey flowers

Its flowers are off - white or yellow - Theodore Harold White while the bud are rose - scarlet .

5) Russian Comfrey

Russian Comfrey is a aseptic crossbreed and , therefore , can not self - ejaculate – which greatly concentrate the business one has about comfrey ’s invasiveness .

However , it show very vigorous outgrowth and , as such , can spread out .

It can reach a altitude of closely 2 m and because of the overall size , this crossbreed is a top choice for harvesting go forth for composting and other practical purposes .

sprwaling foliage of S. × uplandicum ‘Bocking #14’

Its blossom are among the most appealing too , being of a pretty purple - to - violet hue .

6) Comfrey ‘Bocking 14’

A very popular diverseness and ‘ the smart choice ’ .

The rationality is that it carries all the advantages of the plant life without any downside .

Like the parent crossbreed , it is sterile and can not self - semen but on top of that it is a well - deport , non - invasive variety that does not spread so much.5Symphytum × uplandicum “ Bocking 14.”(n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . remember March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/108577/symphytum-x-uplandicum-bocking-14/details

Variegated Russian Comfrey growing upwards

It reaches a height and bed covering of ( only ) about 1 m and bears the same pretty violet - to - violet flowers as the parent crossbreed .

7) Variegated Russian Comfrey

This variety carries a different set of plusses .

It too is sterile and ‘ well - behaved ’ with a clumping , non - spreading habit .

It come across a height and spread of 80 - 100 cm .

magnified view of flowering Comfrey Symphytum ‘Hidcote Pink’

Like common comfrey , its flowers are in the pink through the purplish spectrum .

Unlike unwashed comfrey , its leaves are variegated , display fairly wooden-headed cream - yellow edging .

Did we say that comfrey works are not at all decorative ? Oops !

hanging flowers of Symphytum ‘Hidcote Blue’

“ My top two cream areS.×uplandicum‘Variegatum ’ andS.×uplandicum‘Bocking 14 ’ , ” shares Master Horticulturist Dan Ori .

“ They stay under control but are still productive enough to produce plenty of leaves for making plant provender ( comfrey tea ) . ”

8) Comfrey Goldsmith

This is the grandiflorum species ’ donation to comfrey embellishment .

It has a shaggy-haired , bunch - forming drug abuse and is one of the gnome varieties at about 40 cm in meridian with a somewhat smaller spread .

The flowers are pastel purple at the basal or upper one-half and white at the low or distal one-half .

The variegated leave are a much brighter spook of immature than other comfrey with an as shining xanthous , very broad and irregular , edging .

9) Comfrey Hidcote Pink

Has a shaggy , clump - forming drug abuse and it does not get out of bridge player as much as a few of the mintage can .

Its tiptop is as tidy as its habit , being only 40 - 50 atomic number 96 .

Its bicoloured efflorescence are pick at the basal end and a plentiful smart pink on the outer or distal half .

It has an earlier blooming season than other comfreys .

S.‘Hidcote Blue ’ is a variate that bear spicy - to - imperial heyday .

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