Wild teasel

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light shade but flowers best in an open position.

Water

Moderate; water young plants during dry spells. Established plants tolerate some drought, but grow best with occasional moisture.

Soil

Most well-drained soils, including clay, loam and chalk; tolerates relatively poor soil but dislikes prolonged waterlogging.

Height

4-7 ft (1.2-2.1 m)

Spread

1.5-3 ft (0.45-0.9 m)

Flowers

Summer into early autumn; small pale lilac to pinkish-purple flowers open in bands around oval, prickly heads.

Foliage

Coarse, wrinkled, lance-shaped leaves with prickly midribs. Opposite stem leaves join at their bases to form cups that collect rainwater; basal rosettes often remain green through winter.

Growth

Fast once flowering stems develop; usually flowers in its second year.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   3 ft (0.99 m)

3. After 2 years

   5 ft (1.7 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the UK

Invasive in

the US

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Check local invasive-plant restrictions before sowing or planting.
• Water seedlings and first-year rosettes during prolonged dry weather.
• Avoid routine feeding; rich soil encourages excessive height and flopping.
• Give plants room away from paths because stems, leaves and flower heads are prickly.
• Pull unwanted seedlings promptly, removing the taproot before plants become established.
• Stake flowering stems only in exposed sites, using a discreet support before they lean.

Pruning. Where spread is a concern, cut off all flower heads as flowering finishes, before seeds mature, and bag them rather than composting them. Only where self-seeding is acceptable should you leave heads for birds and winter structure, then cut dead stems to ground level in late winter.

Spring

Check for unwanted rosettes and remove them while the soil is moist.

Late spring

Where growing it is appropriate, sow seed shallowly in its final position and thin seedlings to allow room for broad rosettes.

Early summer

Water young plants in dry spells and support tall stems in exposed positions.

Summer

Watch flowering heads closely and remove them as flowers fade if seed spread must be prevented.

Autumn

Remove escaped seedlings and check nearby bare ground for new rosettes.

Late winter

Cut down any retained dead stems before surrounding plants begin active growth.

• Use occasional tall stems at the back of a large informal border for vertical structure.
• Combine with ornamental grasses and airy flowers for contrasting solid, oval flower heads.
• In its native range, include small numbers in managed wildlife planting for insects and seed-eating birds.
• Where seed spread is acceptable, retain dry heads as winter silhouettes against low planting.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Wildflower, Wildlife garden, Pollinator garden, New perennial (prairie) and Winter interest.

Plant it with: Tufted hair grass, Meadow cranesbill, Yarrow, Field scabious and Purple coneflower.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other insects. Goldfinches and other seed-eating birds use the ripe heads, especially in Britain and Europe; these benefits do not justify planting it where it displaces native vegetation.

• Excessive self-seeding: remove every flower head before seed ripens and dig out young rosettes, including their taproots.
• Flopping stems: avoid rich feeding, provide full sun and stake early in windy positions.
• Powdery mildew: improve airflow and avoid allowing plants to become severely drought-stressed.
• Slugs and snails damaging seedlings: inspect after dark and protect young plants with barriers or locally approved controls.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, though species-specific information is limited and it is not a food plant. Prickles on the stems, leaves and flower heads can scratch skin or injure mouths; wear gloves when handling.

Where it spreads. Spreads aggressively by seed outside its native European, North African and western Asian range. It is invasive across parts of the United States, particularly the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, and is regulated in states including Colorado, Minnesota and Oregon.

• Cut-leaved teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus)

  Has deeply divided stem leaves and usually white flowers; wild teasel has mostly undivided leaves and usually pale purple flowers.

• Small teasel (Dipsacus pilosus)

  Has much smaller, rounded heads of whitish flowers and a more loosely branched habit, rather than the large oval heads of wild teasel.

• Cultivated fuller's teasel (Dipsacus sativus)

  Its flower-head scales have stiff, hooked tips suited to raising the nap of cloth; wild teasel has straighter, more flexible tips. Some classifications treat it as a cultivated form of Dipsacus fullonum.

Dipsacus comes from the Greek for thirst, referring to water held in the joined leaf bases, while fullonum means 'of fullers', recalling the use of cultivated teasel heads to raise the nap of woollen cloth.

Propagation. Propagate by seed only where planting is appropriate and permitted. Sow shallowly outdoors in spring or early autumn; plants develop a taproot and are best sown in place or moved while very young. Do not divide.

Accepted botanical name

Dipsacus fullonum

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baleares, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corse, Czechoslovakia, East Aegean Is., France, Germany and Great Britain.

Measured

Average height 120 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.