I love that blue. I grow only the Bocking 14 cultivar and it has purple blooms.

gardengus said: Did you have trouble getting all the root out ? I have heard once it is planted It is almost impossible to remove.

Some wonderful, generous gardener sent me a root of comfrey. I had to move it to a different area and so far, I have not found any invasiveness. It may happen over a period of time, but I will just see what happens. So far, it is doing better, getting more moisture in this garden. I am looking forward to adding the leaves to my compost pile.

Evelyn

I just cut all mine and used it as a mulch in a raised veggie bed that is empty right now . I will dig it in when I am ready to plant again.

Cinda ~ I have not seen flowers on it yet, but I just transplanted it to the shady garden. BTW, thanks for the comfrey root! What color are the flowers? Blue? In any case, I have been adding some of those huge leaves to the compost pile. It is a nice addition to that garden. It does get some sun, but it is in mostly shade. Will that be enough sun for it, or should I move it to a sunnier spot?

Before I had it on the north side of the house and it got to much hot morning summer sun.

Evelyn ,
Sorry for the late response , I have been trying to find my photo of the flower color , I think it may be in the database The color here is light purple .
I wish I could say about light needed but your zone is so far from mine, my plants are in the garden that gets sun most all day.

Evelyn, I find comfrey to be a pretty forgiving plant. I have it in full sun (Pacific NW, so not intense sun) in my herb garden, but it has also hitchhiked to a couple shadier spots where it is doing well (I must have dug up bits of the root when moving plants close to it). It also popped out of my compost pile, where it is dumped on regularly but nevertheless thrives. I like it there as a bit of a screen. I'd let it stay in your shade garden and see how it does this coming season. If it is obviously reaching for more light, just move it again. It transplants well.

Thank you, Cinda and Bonehead. I appreciate your input. I will let you know if it ever flowers or what else happens...

Evelyn

hi all
I was reading up on comfrey & found there was a post here on ATP
im wanting to grow some for my rabbits , chickens ,goats & bees. With the added bonus of companion planting for tomatoes etc.
What type have y'all found to be the pest in East Texas soil & heat
Thanks

My chickens love comfrey. The free-rangers snack on it regularly and I've now planted some just outside the chicken yard knowing they will poke their heads through to get to it, but I don't think they will kill it (enough will be out of reach). I also used to feed it to cows and horses. It is just an all-round beneficial plant.

I ordered, and received some comfrey seeds from Richters for my tomatoes. My next-door neighbor has chickens. If I get good germination with these seeds, I think I'll save some plants for when she returns from a long trip out of town. I only need a couple plants as I hope to try growing some from cuttings. But I kind of feel bad for the chickens as the neighbor doesn't have the bushy garden she had last year for the chickens to roam about during the day.

What I was wondering, and have not seen anywhere, is comfrey safe around pets, like dogs?

It will be planted where my dog can't get to it and dig it up, but as it is along a fence, I'm worried about her eating the leaves through the fence.

I'm trying to keep a list of the plants I need to be cautious of when the dog is around them.

Hi Cheryl,

I'm not sure if there is a best variety of comfrey for growing in Texas heat. I have the common one, Symphytum officinale. It's growing in partial shade where it does better than it did in full sun. It stays pecked up from the chickens but new leaves grow quickly and it shoots up flowers in the summer.

Comfrey is safe for dogs.

Thanks dave! It's always a relief to know I'm not putting something dangerous where my dog can easily get to any part of the plant. I must keep her safe.

Thanks Dave

Hi ckat, I'd be surprised if your dogs were interested in the comfrey; my dogs have never bothered it, or my cat.

The little hairs on the comfrey make it difficult for any mammal to eat fresh. Even before goats will eat it you often have to crush it to get rid of the hairs.

Thanks for that. I hadn't considered the hairs being bothersome for critters.

I've never had any dog snack on any plant other than grass.

Bonehead said:Evelyn, I find comfrey to be a pretty forgiving plant. I have it in full sun (Pacific NW, so not intense sun) in my herb garden. I'd let it stay in your shade garden and see how it does this coming season. If it is obviously reaching for more light, just move it again. It transplants well.

Thank you! The shade garden is not "full shade". it has a lot of sun until the leaves come out on the oaks. Then it is part shade...I am looking to see progress this year.

We planted comfrey when we had goats and horses. We have found it is a bit invasive, and even worse to remove. We share plants at swaps and most of the comfrey we share are plants that volunteer where we have tried to remove it. The roots are very deep and fibrous and like the common dock, if you miss a piece you will know. LOL