Marianne's Response

verbascum from seed

how easy is verbascum to start from seed? what are the basic needs of the baby plants?

Posted by winnie vanartsdalen on April 19, 2022

Marianne's Response

Verbascum is a big, bold perennial with felty, gray leaves but it hybridizes freely so that means seeds will not breed true so the baby plants could end up being different from the mother. It would be best to propagate using root cuttings taken in the winter. Cut a root about two inches long and lay it sideways in potting soil that fills a 4 inch pot. Just barely covered the root with soil. In spring a new plant will sprout from the root section and  can be transplanted into the garden or a larger pot. Growing new perennials from seed or root cuttings is a fun challenge so hope you just grow for it. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti