Teasel
Dipsacus fullonum
zones 3-6
35 seeds
The genus name (Dipsacus) is derived from the Greek word for thirst (dipsa) and refers to the cup-like formation made where sessile leaves merge at the stem. The name Teasel derives from Old English words relating to the verb "to tease". The dried heads of the plant were once used in the textile industry to raise the nap on woolen cloth.
Teasel is a biennial, spending the first year after germination as a basal rosette, then grows a 2-8 foot flowering stem. Basal rosette leaves are puckered with scalloped edges. Stem leaves appear similar, but they are smaller and opposite, and their bases fuse to form a cup around the stem. Stems are prickly and branch near the top. The lavender colored flowers are very small and pack into dense, cone shaped heads. After flowering, the plant becomes woody and persists through the following winter.
Sow seeds directly in the ground as soon as the ground is workable. Teasel will readily self-seed, so if you don’t want a field full, dead head the seeding tops.
Dipsacus fullonum
zones 3-6
35 seeds
The genus name (Dipsacus) is derived from the Greek word for thirst (dipsa) and refers to the cup-like formation made where sessile leaves merge at the stem. The name Teasel derives from Old English words relating to the verb "to tease". The dried heads of the plant were once used in the textile industry to raise the nap on woolen cloth.
Teasel is a biennial, spending the first year after germination as a basal rosette, then grows a 2-8 foot flowering stem. Basal rosette leaves are puckered with scalloped edges. Stem leaves appear similar, but they are smaller and opposite, and their bases fuse to form a cup around the stem. Stems are prickly and branch near the top. The lavender colored flowers are very small and pack into dense, cone shaped heads. After flowering, the plant becomes woody and persists through the following winter.
Sow seeds directly in the ground as soon as the ground is workable. Teasel will readily self-seed, so if you don’t want a field full, dead head the seeding tops.
Dipsacus fullonum
zones 3-6
35 seeds
The genus name (Dipsacus) is derived from the Greek word for thirst (dipsa) and refers to the cup-like formation made where sessile leaves merge at the stem. The name Teasel derives from Old English words relating to the verb "to tease". The dried heads of the plant were once used in the textile industry to raise the nap on woolen cloth.
Teasel is a biennial, spending the first year after germination as a basal rosette, then grows a 2-8 foot flowering stem. Basal rosette leaves are puckered with scalloped edges. Stem leaves appear similar, but they are smaller and opposite, and their bases fuse to form a cup around the stem. Stems are prickly and branch near the top. The lavender colored flowers are very small and pack into dense, cone shaped heads. After flowering, the plant becomes woody and persists through the following winter.
Sow seeds directly in the ground as soon as the ground is workable. Teasel will readily self-seed, so if you don’t want a field full, dead head the seeding tops.