I agree if you have comfrey you will have it to share
It has so many uses , Makes a great compost tea , I some times I use a mass of leaves to cover an area of the herb/ veggie garden , rather like a mulch . I do this when I want to let an area rest for a season.
My plants are just now coming up.

Thanks Christine
is there some where here in East Texas to get some comfrey

I've never seen comfrey available locally. I found mine on line, the first time from a generous member of of ATP/Cubits and the second time (the plant I have now) from an on-line plant source. I do recommend my on line plant source, as I have bought many plants from them over the years and I'm always happy with them. Ironically, the name of the company is Companion Plants!

They're in Ohio. Here's the link at our Forum of Recommendations:

http://garden.org/reviews/view...

thanks for the link Christine now im really confused as there are 3 different plants ...

Hi Cheryl, Happy Mother's Day!

Well, I didn't even realize they had those others.

This (Symphytum officinale) is the one typically used as fodder: http://companionplants.com/cat...

Thanks Christine

Too much of a good thing? It is VERY invasive here - NE IA. I have to keep digging up the edges as it is trying to take over the lawn. I thought it would make a great companion / mulch plant but it is like most invasives it has to be kept separate. maybe it would be a good idea to cut it back several times a year and use the leaves for mulch. That was my original idea, but I have never tried it! After planting it (long ago) I read that rather than being healthful, it was toxic, so that put me off it...

This very informative thread brought me to this site. I am so excited to have found you all! I am in North Texas. I am hoping to order some comfrey root and was thinking about planting it under the partial shade of a tree in my yard. I am wondering if any of you might be able to share any thoughts on when I should plant it and are you having to water yours pretty frequently? It sounds like it is hard to grow in Tx. So, I am hoping if you have any suggestions I might not kill it right away I cannot wait to poke around here more and see what other great information is on this forum!

Warm welcome, Sprout, from the Pacific NW. I don't give my comfrey any special treatment, but you may well need to in Texas. Good luck and hope you find it to be a useful and fruitful plant in your garden. It sure is a bee magnet.

Thank you for the warm welcome! I cannot wait until I have some growing. I hope it doesn't need a lot of special care

@Dave who is the co-founder and co-owner of this entire site, wrote an article about comfrey:
http://garden.org/ideas/view/d...
Lots of good information...and Dave lives in Texas!

Hi Sprout,

It's true that comfrey isn't the easiest plant to grow in north Texas but I've managed to keep mine alive for several years now and it's actually starting to spread a bit. Fall is a good time to plant comfrey. Yours should do very well under a tree where it will get some shade from our hot sun. If it's a fruit tree, I've heard that fruit trees will benefit from comfrey being grown beneath them. Actually, most plants will benefit growing near comfrey since it has long tap roots that will reach down and draw up nutrients from the soil. My dh has been wanting to plant comfrey under our fruit trees. But he has to wait until the trees are big enough to provide some shade!

Good one Greene! I think I must have missed that article. Off to read...

Thank you for the advice and the welcome!

Maybe I have too high of hopes for comfrey. I was really growing it to create a good mulch. It sounds like it doesn't really thrive in Tx though. Hmmm.. I may plant it anyway, it sounds like a good plant to have around the garden. I was going to plant it under our pecan tree. The tree is probably about 80 years old and the shade it offers truly changes the climate of our back yard. You can walk out from under the tree in the summer and feel the heat blazing down, but under the tree it feels like spring all the time :). When it rains you will never know it if you are under this tree. It towers over our home and we keep thinking we should cut it down before it crushes us, but.... I really like the tree. Probably not smart on my part...

Anyway, thank you for posting the article about comfrey. I will go check it out. I have read quite a bit about it, but it seems like those in Tx. have a different comfrey experience.

This is the best place ever. I know of no one irl that has any desire to discuss garden stuff!

Same for me, sprout!! You will love it here!

Although, I think I have swayed my dh a little. Sometimes he even calls plants by their botanical name now.

This looks like an old thread but I'll add to it anyway.

I grow 3 varieties of Comfrey. I have hundreds of plants. Hundreds.

1- Comfrey Official
2- Bocking 14 (Also known as Russian Comfrey)
3- Axminster Gold



The latter two are hybrids between Comfrey Official and Prickly Comfrey.

Comfrey Official re-seeds itself abundantly in moist areas that are not too hot. It simply will not re-seed itself in very hot or dry places; or semi-desert conditions.

Bocking 14 grows larger and thicker however the seeds are sterile. (Once in a great while a seed may germinate). You may see it happen 3 times in your life if you grow a large field.

Axminster Gold is a variagated variety. Slightly more drought tolerant than Bocking 14 but not as hardy. Growth is slower. It prefers cooler temperatures.

Comfrey in my climate is not temperamental as long as it gets watered regularly.

My family has grown Comfrey for 3 generations. Aside from the above mentioned uses of comfrey for soil enhancement comfrey is a miracle herb. It has more calcium than dairy products and more protein than meat. We have eaten comfrey on a daily basis with no ill side effects for generations and I've used it my entire life.

(There is a PA alkaloids scare but realistically the level of PA alkaloids in Comfrey are lower than the level of alkaloids in an Apple.)

Comfrey is a strong anti-inflament. When eaten regularly it will clear up difficult acne and comfrey root poultice with Epsom salt soak will eliminate blood poisoning, (First hand experience.)

Other family experiences is that it resolves arthritis and joint pain. Eliminates mouth/gum inflammation.

Comfrey stimulates rapid cell regeneration so it slows down aging. People who use it regularly look much younger than they really are.

Comfrey tea has been beneficial in many ways also for my children but not sure if I'm allowed to make that claim on social media since folks might upset if their pediatrician is not aware.

Comfrey can be propagated by divisions (Seeds if it is official) and stem cuttings only if you cut the stem while it's freshly budding. The stem will not root after the blossoms mature and start to fall off.

Axminster Gold has the variegation gene in its crown so you need to cut out root suckers as they will be solid green. You can only divide the crown to get another variagated plant.

The PA alkaloid test in mice that caused damage was a test that was done by giving the mice concentrated doses that were far greater than a human would get by just eating comfrey in moderation.

And the body weight of the mice compared to humans... tsk tsk. What a poor test. It was an over dose. Anyone can over dose on a good thing when eaten excessively. One would think the test was done to deliberately discredit the herb which has been used for thousands of years in Europe and the Celtic Isles.

Feeding comfrey to cattle, goats, rabbits, and sheep does not harm them either. (It will kill an iguana. First hand experience. Comfrey is in the spinach family)

OH YES!!!!

Another great use for comfrey!!

Bocking 14 makes an outstanding grassy border control. For some reason grass does not like mature comfrey. You can plant a border row of comfrey between your lawn and Perennial Gardens. It will keep the grass at bay. I put a row of comfrey on each side of my stone and brick walkway to prevent the lawn from invading my wall way.

Comfrey plants are as tough as day Lillies. I've had uprooted muddy Comfrey plants sitting in a plastic bag for 5 months in my garage and forgot they were there.

I assumed they might be goners so I dumped them in a hole for compost and they grew instead... 😂


Comfrey tastes best blended smooth in orange juice with fresh frozen peaches.