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Comfrey
with Blue Flowers (Hidcote Blue)
This comfrey
is very invasive. It spreads by underground roots (rhizomes). Once you plant
it, it will spread rapidly and be difficult to get rid of. I once threw
it into a compost pile to decompose, but it grew instead. It grew all around
the pile and kept going.
The photo
to the left was taken in early spring.
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Invasive,
Smaller than Other Comfreys
The Russian
Comfrey Bocking #4 and #14 that I sell is a sterile hybrid and is not invasive
at all. But some people want a ground cover that will spread fast. Hidcote
Blue comfrey spreads by creeping rhizomes.
I found it in the southern Appalachian Mountains. It is about half the size
of Russian Bocking comfrey. The leaves grow to about 1 to 1˝ feet tall.
With the flower stalk, it is 2 feet tall.
It is Symphytum Hidcote Blue.
Symphytum officinale x Symphytum
asperum x Symphytum grandiflorum = Symphytum grandiflorum Hidcote Blue=
Symphytum Hidcote Blue.
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Dyers
Comfrey
Some have
called it 'Dyers' Comfrey because the leaves can be used to dye cloth or
yarn.
See 3
types of comfrey.
Hidcote Blue Comfrey blooms earlier in spring than Russian and True/Common
Comfrey. If you don't cut the flowerstalks, it will only bloom that one
time except for a few flowers here and there throughout spring and summer.
This variety of comfrey is not liked very much by livestock. Livestock love
Russian Comfrey (#4 or #14) and True Comfrey.
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Blue
Comfrey
Here are
2 photos from Duncan in west central Illinois of a Hidcote Blue comfrey
plant that he grew from roots I sent him. The first photo is soon after
I sent it. The next photo is when it was well established.
"Regarding the S. asperum vs. S. grandiflorum Hidcote
Blue debate, based on what mine have done so far, I can’t imagine them getting
as tall as S. asperum is supposed to, and they’re not as ‘prickly’."
"I love watching it, and the mystery is fun. Wild
native sounds good to me, but I think you could call it Hidcote blue."
-Duncan, Illinois
The small photo of the blue-flowered comfrey in a pot is from Alex in Reading, Pennsylvania.
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Vibrant
Blue Flowers
"I was taught herb craft at my Grandmother's knee. I have been in search of the short comfrey with the vibrant blue flowers. I saw it in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts about 1988 at Berkshire Botanical Garden."
"I live in the hills between the Adirondacks and the Catskills, so I believe
that if this persnickety Comfrey likes Appalachia, it will get along alright
here too." -Tricia, Binghamton, New York
The second photo is after the flowers have fallen from the stalk.
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Symphytum Hidcote Blue
These 3 photos
are young plants from Patrick in eastern Nebraska.
"Your Hidcote Blue makes nice potted plants. They do well with plenty of light and water. With the larger pot, they are already beginning to spread. Thanks for your comfrey!"
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Hidcote
Blue Comfrey with Johnny Jump-Ups
This photos
is from Trish in Binghamton, New York.
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Hidcote
Blue Comfrey with Blue Heeler Dog
This photo
was taken mid-April. It is covered with blue flowers. At the top left is
some Comfrey Bocking #14.
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Comfrey
Root
Symphytum Hidcote Blue
This photo
shows what your Hidcote Blue-Flowered Comfrey root looks like.
It is $19 per root. Shipping is $7 total no matter how many roots you
order. You can order by clicking here:
Despite the fact that Hidcote Blue Comfrey is very invasive, the roots can
be sensitive to getting started when they are transplanted. It does best
if planted outside, not in a pot. Do not over water.
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