Author Topic: Scared of comfrey (Read 8895 times)

onionhead · « **Reply #40 on:** April 07, 2006, 22:43:21 »

I had borage down as a weed - wish I'd never got rid of it now:

http://www.purplesage.org.uk/profiles/borage.htm

Restricted in Australia and New Zealand? :o Must have something going for it then.

cardinalflower · « **Reply #41 on:** April 07, 2006, 22:59:38 »

Hiya,
just looked at the borage plant geoff, I definitely don't have borage, I'll post a pic in a few weeks time on the plant i have and maybe you guys can give me a clue what it is. all i know is that it has gorgous blue and purplish flowers and spread like mad. Mine is a new plant and this is it's first Spring in my garden!

Thanks alot all :D

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #42 on:** April 08, 2006, 00:07:31 »

I planted a bit of borage the first year I had the plot, and it's now a weed. I do let a bit grow though, where it isn't in the way.

supersprout · « **Reply #43 on:** April 09, 2006, 06:45:43 »

This is how my comfrey looks now (top right) sprouting again after winter. When the comfrey came up was always my mum's signal to the Gardener's Assistant to plant the spuds, a comfrey leaf went in the hole with each seed spud (can't remember why). Does anyone know what the connection/benefit is supposed to be? ::)

telboy · « **Reply #44 on:** April 09, 2006, 22:20:48 »

Supersprout,
Full of minerals etc. from being brought up from the depth that the roots reach. Excellent compost accelerator & liquid feed.
Back to borage - use it as an infusion! Gives you a lift, know what I mean?
Hears to you!

supersprout · « **Reply #45 on:** April 09, 2006, 22:39:15 »

Hey telboy, could do wiv some of that borage uplift! Leaves in the pot, like tea, or flowers, or both? SSx

Robert_Brenchley · « **Reply #46 on:** April 09, 2006, 23:07:58 »

Leaves. Great stuff. It's also good for liquid manure.

euronerd · « **Reply #47 on:** April 10, 2006, 20:46:02 »

Have you tasted borage as an infusion ss? It is ABSOLUTELY FOUL. :o Might as well be drinking liquid manure. I hope that's not what telboy meant:

Quote from: telboy on April 07, 2006, 22:00:33

...If you do not know the uses of Borage you haven't lived!!

;D

Geoff.

supersprout · « **Reply #48 on:** April 10, 2006, 22:27:39 »

Thanks for the tip euronerd. All herbal teas taste foul to me. But will give it a go anyhoo when the borage come up. Roll on Summer! :-X :P ;D

Common_Clay · « **Reply #49 on:** April 11, 2006, 10:57:00 »

I'm just reading a book at the moment called 'Close To The Veg: A Book Of Allotment Tales' by Michael Rand. A very funny read and there's a 20 page chapter or so on the benifits of comfrey... which he concludes are few (I'm not going to be popular now, lol)... He traipses through each use of the plant and seems to methodically disprove them, with apparently good reason. He suggests using seaweed extract as a relatively odourless alternative to comfrey tea and his findings for a dissertation that potato yields were actually lower when planted with a comfrey leaf are now in the HDRA library.
Just thought it'd be worth a mention as I was all ready to go out and get some. Think I'll keep saving for that womery. :)

(And apologies to anyone whose back I have just well and truly rubbed up the wrong way, lol) .

supersprout · « **Reply #50 on:** April 11, 2006, 12:58:02 »

LOL@CC, that reminds me of another sacred cow.
My saintly friends would always offer to pray for me whenever I got poorly, and I was properly grateful. However I read an article in the New Scientist about 18 months ago which compared poorly people who were prayed for and people who weren't. The people who weren't did slightly better :-[ :'(
Will carry on using comfrey and receiving prayers nevertheless ;)

Common_Clay · « **Reply #51 on:** April 11, 2006, 14:34:29 »

lol@supersprout, I like that... so if I 'think' comfrey, it'll do just as well. ;)

telboy · « **Reply #52 on:** April 11, 2006, 16:32:59 »

Supersprout,
A bit more on the Borage front.
A herbalist, Gerard says
- "the leaves and flowers of borage, put into wine, make men and women glad and merry and drive away all sadness, dulnesse and melancholy".
- It is an essential garnish for Pimms.
- An infusion of the leaves(a heaped teaspoon or more per cup) with boiling water and left for five minutes before straining is good hot or iced with lemon and sugar.
Hope you get to try it.

supersprout · « **Reply #53 on:** April 11, 2006, 20:15:31 »

I certainly will tel, as well as all the drivinge away melancholie it is said to have precise medicinal benefits I'm looking for. Seeds are poised! And thanks for getting me started on this track :)

Trixiebelle · « **Reply #54 on:** April 14, 2006, 15:03:50 »

I've been 'rummaging' round our allotment avenues today looking for nettles to add to water butts and I found a plant that I THINK might be comfrey??!!??

I've tried Googling images of comfrey and the basic leaf shape/plant spread is the same. But it's got hairy leaves, white spots and small purple flower buds on it. Do you think it's comfrey???

I was about to dig the whole lot up and plant it in my allotment then I thought .... MAYBE NOT :o Ask the experts first!

Over to you!

supersprout · « **Reply #55 on:** April 14, 2006, 16:46:18 »

Got a picture trixie?
I don't think comfrey would have white spots. Is the leaf surface smooth or hairy?
Sounds a bit like viper's bugloss?

Debs · « **Reply #56 on:** April 14, 2006, 17:37:50 »

Is it a pulmonaria? sounds like one I have growing in garden.

See this link for a picture...

http://www.broadleighbulbs.co.uk/images/spring/miscnp/pulmfrughling.jpg

slippy fly · « **Reply #57 on:** April 14, 2006, 20:27:02 »

hello trixiebelle
Im no expert but im 99.9% sure the plant you have seen is Lungwort (pulmonaria).If you look on google you can see some pics.

Trixiebelle · « **Reply #58 on:** April 16, 2006, 13:39:04 »

Thanks Sprouty, Debs and Slippy! Yes, it is in fact lungwort. But someone today gave me a huge root of comfrey that they've dug out of their garden and it's split into 15 bits to plant :D Can't decide where to plant it though ... decisions, decisions ::)

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Author Topic: Scared of comfrey (Read 8895 times)