Common mullein is a fuzzy biennial herbaceous plant in the Scrophulariaceae (snapdragon) family native to Europe and Asia. Its distinct flower stalk can grow quickly to a height of 6 to 10 feet tall and is found growing in fields, roadsides, pastures, and waste places. It has naturalized across the United States and Canada.   It naturalizes in southeast Georgia in areas rich in limestone and spreads by its many thousands of seeds.
Rosettes of large silverly green pubescent leaves form at the ground in the first year and look similar to lambs ear. These low-to-the-ground leaves remain evergreen even under cold conditions and can provide some winter interest to the landscape. Because this plant is a biennial, in the second year a tall flower spike of fragrant yellow flowers will appear, sometimes singular sometimes branching. The plant dies back completely after flowering, but self-seeding occurs, although it is not considered especially aggressive.
Use it in cottage gardens or as a vertical element of a borer. Because it grows so well in poor soils, it does well on dry rocky slopes.
