Verbascum olympicum (Greek mullein, Olympian mullein, Königskerze (German))

The plant grows 2 to 3 meters tall and bears an enormous candelabra of golden flowering spikes, easily up to 90 cm high. It takes two to three years for the plant to flower, usually it dies afterwards. However, they do self-seed copiously and, if possible, leave seedlings where they appear naturally as they are very drought-tolerant. The perfect dramatic plant for easy gardening as verbascums are not fussy about soil and water and are also snail proof.

Verbascum olympicum is native to the ancient Mt. Olympus in Turkey (now known as Uludag). Uludag is the most western extension of the Pontic mountains range. It is one of the highest peaks in the area and is rich in biological diversity, including an astonishing 104 endemic species of plants.