It is summers like this that make you appreciate silver-leafed plants that shrug off drought, shimmer in the sun and bring contrast to brighter summer flowers, making them stand out. They must have well-drained soil, though clay soils tend to hold enough water that it doesn’t need drought-resistant silvery-leaved plants.
Verbascums or mulleins have done exceptionally well this summer, despite the wet winter. The native great mullein, Verbascum thapsus, is a 1.5m brute suitable only for wilder gardens, but if it can be tolerated, is very valuable for pollinators and supports the stripe mullein moth caterpillars. It is not as grey as other verbascums.
Two much better verbascums are V. bombyciferum and V. olympicum, both growing to 2.5m. Neither are especially widely sold, but they are easily grown from seeds, which must have light to germinate. Sow barely covered with sifted growing medium or vermiculite.
Shorts
V. bombyciferum is a biennial, while V. olympicum is a short-lived perennial that takes two years to come into full flower, after which it dies. Collecting and sowing seeds in the garden is necessary if they are to persist.
