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Comfrey plants invasive in Colorado?

I have read that comfrey plants are very good for chickens to eat and also are great for the compost pile. I have also read that they are very invasive. Does anyone in Colorado, specifically eastern Colorado east of I-25, have experience concerning the invasiveness of the plant? Any other pro's or con's I should know before I order this plant and put it into this dry, alkaline clay soil we have? I live on the north end of a country subdivision with no windbreak between our place and Wyoming. With the semi-arid area and the wind, I usually feel that nothing out here could possibly be invasive (except bindweed and thistles), and anything that can grow is a good thing. Should I plant comfrey or avoid it like the plague?

Comments (6)

  • plantladyco
    18 years ago

    I have grown Comfrey for years.
    I live in downtown Colo Spgs.
    At my last house it was somewhat invasive, but controllable.
    Where I live now I lost it due to drought, I think.
    I was surprised. Didn't think you COULD kill Comfrey.
    I just ordered some roots and will try again.
    I love it's tenacity...it's pink flowers...and it feeds butterflies and sometimes hummingbirds.

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    18 years ago

    Hi SMG,

    If you're going to plant this where it will be watered on anything even approaching a regular basis, I'd be a little bit hesitant. The roots are so "energetic" that, at the garden center where I used to work, they would, in short order, fill the pot and break right throught the sides of the pot. If it's at all happy, I think it will be pretty difficult to get rid of if you ever want to. On the other hand, as PlantLady says, lack of water just might do it in! It always wilted very quickly when the pots got dry.

    Also, I'm not so sure you'll be doing your chickens a favor by feeding it to them. It contains alkaloids that can do damage to the liver. Here's a link to a site with some pretty good information about the toxicity.

    I also just found a post on the Herbs Forum pertaining to this. Here's a (cut and paste) link to it: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg071131218908.html

    If you're looking for plants that should do well on their own (after they're established) in your high, dry, and windy conditions, check out the xeric perennial sections at either Paulino's or Timberline gardens here in Denver. They're both great places for selection and advice.

    Good luck,
    Skybird

    Here is a link that might be useful: Symphytum officinale - comfrey

  • sitaps
    18 years ago

    I love comfrey but had a hard time getting a nice big plant the first time around. I first planted some against a hot southern exposure wall. The leaves burned all the time and it died when I forgot to water it.

    Second try: a neighbor gave me some fresh comfrey root in a container. I set it down out front of the house in an unlandscaped yard. The same neighbor's dog came by thrashed the container and then pooped on it. I thought it was a lost cause... I threw the mess away and we landscaped over the yard with landscape fabric, small rock and then a big giant rock. Spring came and so did the comfrey! It came right up in front of the big rock and it never failed to bloom it's beautiful purple/blue flowers. My mother's dogs often snack on the fuzzy leaves and the bees love the flowers. In Southern Oregon (zone7), where this happened, it dies down completely in the winter, and comes back strong in the spring. It doesn't spread at all, but with shade and moisture, it would be hard to get rid of.

  • cyndi_co
    18 years ago

    It's not on the noxious weed list for Colorado, at least. Boulder Co. also has a list of "plants of concern", not yet noxious but aggressive, and it's not on there, either.

    Here is a link that might be useful: CWMA weed list

  • margaretmontana
    18 years ago

    Comfrey are like horseradish. If you have a small piece of root left it will grow. It is one of the plants that no chemical that we researched will kill. Not even Roundup! So make sure the area you plant it in will be okay if it does spread. It doesn't spread rapidly unless your husband goes through it with a rototiller!

  • vjc_in_maine
    14 years ago

    Hello --
    I just discovered that I had started to post a message in response to the comfrey question, a year or two ago. :-)
    The short story is that I have found comfrey to be horribly invasive and tenacious. It is extremely difficult to eradicate, and will take over an area. I would not recommend planting anywhere where space is an issue, and certainly not anywhere near or in a garden where you want to grow other things besides comfrey. Good luck! -- vjc_in_maine