Description
Comfrey is a super plant. It grows very easily from root pieces or crowns. Expect it to establish in one year and be full size just about as quickly.
The plant takes in a lot of nutrients from the soil and accumulates these nutrients in leaves and flower stems (this is called dynamic accumulation). The whole plant can be cut multiple times in a year and used as a nutrient rich green mulch around other plants.
The hanging purple flowers of comfrey are very pretty in mid to late spring. They are a great early nectar flow for bumblebees. Make sure to only cut comfrey for mulch after the bumblebees have enjoyed the flowers!
Comfrey has a long history of use in herbalism as both an external and internal healer of wounds.
Keep in mind that comfrey will stay in its planting location permanently. This is the sterile “Bocking 14” variety, so will not spread by seed, but if you pull the plant, any little root piece that remains will be a new plant!
Crowns are essentially established plants, but the long extending roots are cut back for ease of shipment. Root pieces are small pieces of root that will form and entirely new plant quickly with minimal care. Just plant the root piece in the ground. Weed around it the first season for best results!
