Wild Teasel

A large biennial that’s full of drama, from the bold rosettes of leaves to the towering flower heads that are a magnate for bees and birds alike. A top-rate plant for attracting wildlife.

Few wild plants match teasle for sheer impact. Growing easily from seed, in the first year a flat rosette of leaves are produced; these are wide and pointed and covered in bristles, each one with a prominent greenish-white midrib. In the second year, the plant erupts into growth with tall flowering stems. These carry opposing pairs of leaves that clasp the stem and often hold rainwater. The stems branch and each is topped with cone-shaped flower heads that produce rings of lilac flowers; often, several rings are in flower at once. The plants then die but the stems and seed heads, with their comb-like structure, persist throughout winter, providing a strong architectural element to the garden.    

Wild Teasel grows in marginal places, on the edges of rough grassland, thickets and woodland and on waste ground and road verges. It seeds prolifically and can be abundant on disturbed ground. It’s common and widespread in lowland parts of southern Britain, but less common upland parts of Wales, northern England and much of Scotland and Ireland.

This is a plant to be a little careful with in the garden. Loved by some for its architecture and wildlife value, it can become quite invasive. Give it a corner where it can be contained; you can control its spread by some extent by preventing it from seeding. It’s easily grown from seed sown in spring or autumn in a sunny spot in well-drained soil.