Comfrey

Symphytum Uplandicum

Description

With its large, fuzzy leaves and beautiful, spiraling, purple flowers that look like fairy dresses, Comfrey is an exquisite plant indeed. Their deep taproots decompact soils and mine much-needed minerals from below and deposit them, along with a tremendous amount of biomass, in their incredible crop of foliage which can be chop-n-dropped as a living mulch. Planted in polycultures with woody perennials like nut and fruit trees, comfrey can really help speed things along. Comfrey is a very resilient plant once established, resistant to most browse. While we have seen groundhogs eat them, they always come back just as vigorous as before.

Comfrey is also medicinal and great for all sorts of topical ailments from burns and bites to scrapes and sprains. We make a salve from comfrey root and leaves, along with some other herbs like plantain and dandelion, all soaked for a month or so in oil (olive oil works fine, or try making your own with the Oilnut Hickory!) and then mixed with raw, unfiltered beeswax, including the propolis.

Comfrey can be very easily propagated from root fragments. We offer both root fragments and rooted crowns. Each of which will produce vigorous plants that can be propagated further within the first year.

Site Preference

Comfrey will be happy just about anywhere you put them

Hardiness

At least as cold as zone 4