Very invasive and difficult to get rid of once you plant it.

And big -- don't forget big. A single plant truly covers a 3 to 4 foot circle, individual leaves are a good 18" long and six inches wide. They develop a taproot, too.

That said, I have pups from mine you are welcome to; the crushed leaves are good on cuts and bruises.

Lynn

I have it a a very dry, semi-shade spot where it has stayed very tidy. It has stayed at 2 sq.ft. for years.

Lynn,
I would love a pup (that's a new term for me, I like it!) despite the warnings. At LondonTowne it just looked wonderful and I think I'm in love - at least short term romance - let's see if it lasts.
Could I come pick up the pup? I'm a stay-at-home mom so I'm fairly flexible schedule-wise. Email: swhite828@netscape.net if you would like to set a time, or have an alternative suggestion. I don't think I will be at this year's swop. Thanks again.
Sandra

>Very invasive and difficult to get rid of once you plant it.

Some comfreys, like Symphytum officinale produce viable seed, which can result in comfrey taking over the garden.

Symphytum x uplandicum is a hybrid comfrey that does not make viable seed, though I'm sure an indicvidual plant is difficult to get rid of once it is established. It still makes flowers that the bees like to visit.

Alex

For folks w/ skin issues, including psorisis & poison ivy, comfry leaves or root are a good addition to a bath soak tea. Despite it's hairy leaves, it is very soothing for the skin. You can add rosemary and or lavender for scent. I use 4-6 cups tea per bath tub. Make by infusing fresh herbs with boiling water. If you make it by the quart, it keeps for a week in the fridge.

I planted with Virginia bluebells. They seem to get along well.

Thank you for this information, the more I find out about this plant the more interesting it seems. Last night my husband pointed out that there was comfrey root extract in the lip balm we were using!

I have an arthritis gel I purchase from a health food store, too--it can be a useful plant.

Internal usage is now discouraged, although before I found out about that I ate the steamed thinly sliced leaves a few times without apparent problems. They tasted a bit like asparagus to me.

There is a smaller blue-flowered variety which is supposed to be more decorative. I just planted one last year so we shall see. I have it planted near some rhubarb I just started last fall.

The regular purple-flowered, infertile Russian comfrey can get two or three feet tall and appear to be a good bedding neighbor, but if you don't cut it back at that point it flops over and covers an area of four to six feet in diameter, essentially smothering anything else close by.
That is probably why you hear so many references to how well it enriches mulch piles! I planted some of that at the edge of my property to compete with the weeds that tend to develop under the electrical wires birds sit on there. The neighbors may believe it to be a weed, but I will know differently. Eventually the Yellow Archangel I planted as a ground cover near there will arrive, but I think it will be able to hold its own.

I think it was also used as animal feed at one time...I imagine goats would have no problem with it.

All of that said, I think it is just as attractive as lamb's ears, and of course more spectacular because it is so much larger. It likes full sun, and bees love it.

It is difficult to eradicate because each small piece of root will supposedly form a new plant, but if you plant it in an area which will eventually be shaded out by overgrowth it will naturally die out eventually.

Just don't plant anything you really like near it and then go away for a long vacation--when you come back, the other plant will have been smothered out. This may take a season or so to happen, but it eventually will.