Meet the neighbours · wild edible
Mullein
A tall, soft-leaved biennial that lines old roadsides and was once used as natural shoe insulation.
Mullein (pronounced "mull-en") is a tall biennial that starts as a low rosette of big, soft, fuzzy leaves and can reach 6–7 feet in its flowering year. European settlers introduced it to North America, and it now grows wild in fields and ditches across BC and Alberta.
How to grow it
- Hardy in Zones 3–9, loves full sun and dry conditions, and is drought-resistant once established.
- First-year plants grow only a rosette of leaves; flowers appear in year two, and then that plant does not return.
- Volunteers often pop up nearby, so once you have it, you usually keep having it.
How to use & eat it
- Historically, Indigenous people and early colonists lined their shoes with the large, soft leaves for warmth.
- Traditionally used for coughs and sore throats, though scientific evidence is limited.
- Cindy grows it mainly as an ornamental for now — the tall yellow flower spike is a striking garden accent.