A striking architectural biennial, producing tall, branching stems topped with clusters of unusual thistle-like flowers in shades of pink and purple. Each flower sits above a distinctive rounded, spiny green bract, creating a fascinating contrast against the plant's enormous, heart-shaped leaves. Flowering throughout summer, Burdock brings height, texture and a wonderfully wild, naturalistic appearance to cottage gardens, wildlife borders and meadow-style planting schemes.
 
Highly attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinators, Burdock is an excellent choice for gardeners looking to encourage wildlife while introducing something a little different to their planting. Its distinctive hooked seed heads are also useful for dried arrangements, although they readily cling to clothing and animal fur. Easy to grow from seed, this hardy biennial thrives in full sun or partial shade and is particularly well suited to informal gardens where it has room to develop its impressive foliage and flowering stems.
 
When to Sow: Mar–May or Sep–Oct
 
HOW TO SOW:
Direct sow into prepared, weed-free soil, approximately 1–2 cm deep. Sow thinly and water gently. Keep the soil lightly moist until germination. Alternatively, sow individually into deep modules or root trainers using a free-draining seed compost. Transplant while seedlings are young, before the long taproot becomes established. Avoid disturbing the roots once established.
 
Classification: Hardy Biennial
Expert Level: Easy to Grow
Germination Time: 1–3 weeksFlowering Time: Jul - Sep
Site: Full sun or partial shade. Allow plenty of room for its large leaves and tall flowering stems.
Soil Type: Deep, fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil.
Soil Acidity: Acid, neutral or alkaline.
Moisture: Keep the soil lightly moist during germination and establishment. Established plants tolerate occasional dry periods but grow best with consistent moisture.
 
Care: Thin seedlings to their final spacing and keep young plants free from competing weeds. Water during prolonged dry spells. Plants typically produce a large rosette of leaves in their first year, followed by tall flowering stems in their second year. The hooked seed heads readily attach to clothing and animal fur. Remove spent flower heads before seeds mature if you wish to prevent self-seeding.
Use: Wildlife gardens, naturalistic borders, architectural planting and traditional kitchen gardens. The flowers attract pollinating insects, while the long taproots have traditionally been cultivated as a vegetable, known as gobo in Japan.
Harvesting: For ornamental use, cut flowering stems as the purple florets begin to open. Handle mature seed heads carefully due to their hooked bracts. For culinary use, roots are traditionally harvested during the first growing season
 
Days to Maturity: Year 2 
Height: 150–250 cm
Plant Spacing: 60–90 cm