I have this plant growing in my yard: https://www.minnesotawildflowe...

I've always just tried to keep pulling it out and mowing it. It started growing in the field near me and it turns out, in its second year of growing, the thing bolts - and it for SERIOUS bolts. It sends up a thick stalk about 5-8 feet high. The stalk is light weight and TOUGH. It lasts over winter and become something like a thick, velvety, woody bamboo stalk. I cut them all and cut off the dried seed heads (make excellent fire starters!) and clean the fuzzy dead leaves... and free bamboo stalks for my garden vines!

It is kind of exciting to realize you have something so useful just growing in your yard on its own.

We have those things all over the place, too -- I'll have to give a try to using the stalks, Robyn!

Way to go Robyn recycling at it's best using what already grows in your area! I don't have them growing around here that I have ever seen except possibly in roadside ditch areas.

The stalks make great torches and if caught unexpectedly in the woods the soft leaves make great toilet paper.
My grandparents (farmers) used mullen to treat mastitis in their milk cow
All in all a very useful plant

Mullein is used here to treat lung diseases.

I had one pop up on the edge the veggie garden at my folk's old farm. A few others on on a creek bank adjacent to the garden.

Diurnal (?) and biennial if I'm not mistaken? Love at first sight! I can appreciate a weed, er, "wildflower". I moved one to a sun/shade location it never reappeared in and gifted some smaller ones out and one old friend still has several. He does occasionally weed seedlings, anything unwanted and clearly enjoys it more than I did. "Common" is a common word and I don't notice Mullein very often. Odd as I'm always outdoors and rural. As a stand-alone specimen I think it's neat.

Had no idea it was a torch and toilet paper too!

When in need, good to know!

If I am not mistaken, it is also a favorite finch food. I often see them clinging to the stems.

I usually have/allow a couple of the rosettes somewhere in my yard. The rosettes are beautiful when mist or raindrops decorate them. I have seen the finches on the seed stalks too. I never tried to use the stalks as stakes though- good idea! The species is not American native.

The first American pilgrims brought Mullein
To the new shores
A popular medicinal plant
Part of the medicine chest at that time
Verbascum

Also i recently found out this interesting fact
The moment a weed is found to be useful it stops being a weed
A weed is anything we dont want growing !

to NGA, Manoflowers!

Just saw this herb growing alongside a field the other day and my husband asked what it was. I said I had just read about it here on NGA, so was glad to be able to tell him what it was. Had to find this thread first to find the name though, lol!

manoflowers! I think it is very interesting that we find 'weeds' so offensive, yet so many of them have wonderful uses. That's why I have the phrase below my name here.

I just spent this morning out in a field collecting these.

For what use?

I bet they would even hold up a tomato vine! Which I could use about now.

gardengus said:For what use?

Well, for starters, they are kinda pretty, in a "corn stalk" sort of way


But beyond that, I clean them off and use them as trellis or stake materials. They are great for staking up bolted plants so I can collect seeds. I have them as part of my make shift pea and bean trellis. I also can use them to secure netting in places. They are very strong, they likely would work for tomatoes, though maybe use more than one there.

They are also great for backyard fires.