Dipsacus fullonum
Wild teasel
Common names: Fuller's teasel, Common teasel
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 60 cm, rows 70 cm
- Lifespan
- Biennial
- Sowing
- May–Jul
- Harvest
- Aug–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −20 °C
- Water need
- Low
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Description
The wild teasel is a biennial that forms a low rosette in its first year and then shoots up to two metres tall in its second year. Its spiny, egg‑shaped flower heads appear from July to September in a delicate lilac colour and attract wild bees and bumblebees. After flowering the heads dry into distinctive brown seed heads that winter attract starlings and other granivorous birds. As an architectural plant it continues to add interest to a garden even in the cold season, and once established it tends to self‑propagate without becoming overly aggressive.
Care instructions
Wild teasel prefers a sunny to partially shaded spot with well‑drained, not overly poor soil. Water the young rosette during its first year when dry, then the plant tolerates low water levels well. Pruning is usually unnecessary; leave dried flower heads to provide winter food for birds and to secure self‑seed for the next year. Avoid waterlogging, which can cause root rot. Because the spines are fairly robust, wear sturdy gloves when handling the plant.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMay–Jul
HarvestAug–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 15 °C
- Days to sprout
- 21 to 60 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, dry, lime-loving
Wild teasel loves dry to moderately moist, free-draining soils and also does well on lean sites. Chalky, loamy or sandy soils with some nutrients particularly appeal to it. It tolerates waterlogging poorly, so sites along verges or on banks suit it well. Soil that is too rich makes the plant run riot, but doesn't harm the splendour of its flowers.
Feeding
Light feeder
Wild teasel is an undemanding wild perennial and manages without extra feeding. A thin layer of compost in spring is quite enough as a head start for young rosettes. On lean, barren sites it even grows more strongly and flowers more profusely than on nutrient-rich soil.
Overwintering
In its first year, teasel forms only a ground-hugging leaf rosette, which is hardy and needs no protection. Only in the second year does the tall flower stem shoot up, flower and then die. Please leave the dried seed heads standing; they are a winter eye-catcher and bird food at once.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
Wild teasel prefers to propagate itself by sowing; the ripe seeds fall from the spiny heads in late autumn. For deliberate sowing, scatter the seeds directly in place from spring or late summer; they are cold-stratification seeds and need frost to germinate. Thin the seedlings the following year to give them enough space, as the rosettes take up a lot of room. Transplanting the taproot only works well at a young stage.
For your garden
Grow Wild teasel yourself
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