Thumping great Comfrey 'Bocking 14', the thug of our plot. In a misguided moment when we first took over the plot I planted a few roots of this, looking to make comfrey 'tea' fertiliser and use the leaves as a compost activator. Mistake!!! It grew, and spread, and spread again. The bees loved it, but it was taking over. I took it out. It grew again. And so it goes on. Each year I think I've got it beat at last, and each year its perky leaves pop up again. Here it's about to encroach on the shallot bed.
We haven't been able to get to the plot this weekend because of preparations for our daughter going away for 2 weeks of serious hill walking with school. I have a feeling that Bocking 14 will have taken advantage of the lull. Perhaps for the first time this season, with no school for one child and the other on exam leave, we can abandon duties at home and get along to the plot a few times. There's nothing sweeter than a May evening in the garden with the blackbirds singing, even if it will be spent digging out the thug.
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7 comments:
Don't things like that drive you crazy!! The plants that you want to grow don't - the ones that you do - dont.. Duh!! It's like a plague! Another round of good lucks to you with that.
I had not as far as I know ever seen comfrey but looking at the photo I think it is coming up on our plots too! It must be a throwback to previous tenants and like yours keeps coming back.
Oh, what a timely post! I was just considering adding a comfrey plant so I could make fertilizer tea for the flowers.... I think I have just changed my mind. :-D
Hi Linda
Yes you read right we have rabbits and roedeer that´s coming into the garden during the winter and eat of the plants that is wintergreen. They eat of the bushes too.We have a fence but when the snow comes the roedeer jumps over.The rabbits comes anyway.
Your plant that you can´t get away must be some that if it still is some roots left it grows.Here in Sweden we have something thats called Roundup It takes everything away that grows.
Gunilla
Love the blog! I've only been to Scotland once. I seem to get "stuck"! in England. And I'm of Scottish heritage.
i like my comfrey. I keep it within its boundaries, and it does OK. I need to remember to make some tea with it.
I guess many of us have done that in the past. Planted something and come to regret it when it invades every place and just will not be gotten rid off. We in our cottage garden know this problem very well. Yet we keep on fighting the culprit year after year to very little avail.
The name 'slow growing in Scotland' makes me smile as the growing must be a lot quicker than that in Finland due to the much shorter season.
But even so gardening just is so rewarding allthough not always successfull and seldom is the result quite as wonderful as what the packages and broschures let you beleive.
Then it's just time to take another turn and that's what makes it so interesting. Never is it ready. The work of creating I mean.
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