Anyone have a particular plant you're just itching to add to your garden this year (ornamental)? I've become quite enamored with Red Hot Poker (Kniphophia spp.) I think it'll look lovely contrasting with the pink/purple blooms of coneflower and the purples of Monarda
It is a compost activator and you can make edges around the veggie garden to attract pollinators. Plus you can feed it to livestock... So many benefits I can't list them all.
@compost Someone mentioned to me that comfrey can spread aggressively, but I reckon I can plant it in a large container if that's the case. I love that you can make a liquid fertilizer out of it
@thegardendude@compost it can spread, but it's nothing like mint or Kikuyu grass. It's pretty easy to chop back and keep under control so long as you're willing to spend at least 30 minutes a year doing so.
@thegardendude@compost As comfrey also makes nutrients available in the soil for other plants, planting it in containers may not be so effective. A kind of root barrier is probably better, but I don't know at what depth it spreads.
Comfrey can also be used as a good mulch.. Perhaps i should try it
@Mordoukna@thegardendude@compost ok, so, don’t plant it anywhere the livestock can eat it, but you can get root cuttings of a sterile cultivar. I found mine on Etsy, it’s called “bocking 14” comfrey.
I’ve got quite a few of them planted in my mini-orchard because I read The Holistic Orchard, which insists comfrey is the best understory for fruit trees.
@reinhilde@compost@thegardendude From my European / German point of view it is native, so good point, I didn't know.
My main point was that if you plant comfrey, you also get all the benefits. If it's just about soil improvement and not leaf mass for mulching, lucerne is certainly a good alternative
@compost@thegardendude I love comfrey in the garden and for external use, but the presence of hepatotoxic Pyrrolizidine alkaloids make them Iill advised for internal consumption, even for livestock. Same with borage leaves, though the flowers and seed are apparently safe.
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