Verbascum 'Helen Johnson'

Verbascums are eye-catching, drought-tolerant plants with felted, silver-grey rosettes of large leaves. Tall, furry flower-spikes emerge bearing wide-open, (usually) yellow flowers, in early to midsummer. Plants self-seed readily.

Verbascum 'Helen Johnson' is a charming perennial cultivar bearing flowers held on tall spires that are peach as they open, fading to a rusty orange. It’s ideal for growing in a sunny mixed or herbaceous border, and is also suitable for growing in containers.

For best results grow Verbascum 'Helen Johnson' in well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil in sun or partial shade. Cut old flowering stems to ground level to prolong flowering. Plants are the caterpillar foodplant of the mullein moth, Cucullia verbasci, which causes unsightly holes in the foliage. If possible grow ‘Helen Johnson’ towards the centre of the border, so other plants mask the holey leaves, or grow wild verbascums nearby, onto which you can transfer the caterpillars.