On a winter walk the side of the road is green with chicory, dandelion, dock and more stubbornly hugging the dirt. More noticeable are the winter mullein rosettes.
A number of plants called biennials spend a year growing, overwinter and bloom the next year. Mullein and thistles are some of them.
Thistles
Bull thistle rosettes invaded the yards around the house a number of years ago. These are a biennial so the rosette appears first and the flowers the next year. We left a couple to see what the plants would be like.
Great shafts lined with thorns grew up reaching five or six feet tall. These had many branches and each branch was tipped with a pink hairy flower head.
These flowers are very popular. Hummingbirds drink nectar. Butterflies walk around on them sipping. Later a variety of birds including goldfinches, cardinals and sparrows eat the seeds.
Winter Mullein Rosettes
Two mulleins invaded the front yard years ago. One is moth mullein with spikes of white flowers with purple hairy stamens. These usually get two feet tall, but can make three.
Common mullein rosettes have big, furry leaves looking like a bird nest on the ground. Unlike thistles that hug the ground, even under where the lawn mower reaches, mullein leaves stand up.
In the summer, tall stalks grow up five or six feet. Usually there is a single one with others appearing later as branches. Other times the stalks become elaborate candelabra. Yellow flowers open randomly along the stalks.
Herbal Tea
Nothing seems to be fond of the furry mullein leaves. However, they do make a nice herb tea. It has a slightly dusty, mild taste. A single leaf is good for two batches of tea for me. I usually toss in some mint leaves or calendula flowers with it.
The impressive flower spikes and wild tea are good reasons to let the mulleins grow.
