Common Mullein

How to grow Common Mullein

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

This is a biennial: it makes a flat rosette of felted grey leaves in the first year and throws up the flower spike in the second, then dies. Sow or plant into poor, dry ground in an open position and leave it alone — rich soil and watering produce soft growth that rots.

Pruning

None needed. Leave the spike standing after flowering if you want it to self-sow and to feed birds, or cut it out before the seed ripens if you do not want seedlings everywhere.

Propagation

Self-sows freely, and moving the young rosettes in autumn is the easiest way to place them. Seed sown on the surface in spring, uncovered, germinates well; do not bury it.

Pests and diseases

Mullein moth caterpillars strip the leaves in early summer and can defoliate a plant almost completely. On a large plant this is largely cosmetic, and picking the caterpillars off by hand is enough if you object.

Value to wildlife

Bees work the yellow flowers steadily up the spike through summer, and goldfinches take the seed in autumn. It is also the food plant of the mullein moth.

Notes

Because it dies after flowering you need a succession of seedlings coming on to keep it in the garden. Allow a few plants to seed each year and thin the results.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Verbascum thapsus but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Verbascum