Verbascum Clementine - Mullein

Verbascum 'Clementine', a superb perennial mullein, raises its tall spires of apricot flowers with a purple heart in summer borders. Planted in full sun in poor, well-drained soil, it offers a long summer flowering period that is loved by pollinating insects. More perennial than many other mulleins, this variety is suited to dry gardens and large perennial borders. It can also be grown in a large container on a sunny terrace.

Verbascum 'Clementine' belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. It is a cultivar integrated into the Riverside Hybrids group. This cultivar was developed in the United Kingdom by mullein collectors Vic Johnstone and Claire Wilson, former holders of the national Verbascum collection; it was presented in 2003 at a major English horticultural show and was quickly noted for its warm colour and good performance in the garden. It is hardy down to -15/-18°C.
The plant forms a wide basal rosette of oblong to spatulate, thick, slightly quilted, grey-tinged green leaves, covered in a soft downy felt. The leaves can easily reach 20 cm in length. The foliage is deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on the climate: in mild, dry climates, the rosette remains visible for a good part of the winter, while in colder or wetter climates it disappears to regrow in spring.
Verbascum 'Clementine' reaches 1.20 m to 1.30 m in height and 0.50 to 0.60 m in width, sometimes up to 1.50 m in deep, fertile soil. Its growth is rapid: a plant reaches its mature size in two or three seasons. The root system is dominated by a deep taproot, typical of mulleins, which explains its drought resistance and poor adaptation to late transplanting. The inflorescences consist of tall, dense branching spikes bearing a multitude of small, closely-set flowers, well-visible along almost the entire length of the stem. Each measures 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter and is formed of five rounded petals forming an almost flat corolla. They are a warm apricot, leaning towards salmon or copper depending on the light, with a centre marked by violet-purple. The flower buds are tinged with brick red. Flowering spreads from June to August, sometimes into early autumn if spent flower stems are regularly removed. The flowers are loved by bees, bumblebees, and butterflies.

Verbascum 'Clementine' is a perennial for full sun and well-drained soil. Plant it in small groups of three specimens to obtain a beautiful cluster of apricot spires in summer. It will accompany other hybrid mulleins, for example, Verbascum 'Southern Charm', with more pastel tones. At its feet, you can slip in the variegated knautia, Knautia macedonica 'Thunder and Lightning'. To add movement, you can choose Eragrostis spectabilis, a mist of purple-pink spikelets, and a few clumps of Eryngium 'Big Blue' for its wild-looking steel-blue thistles.