Home Gardener Is Shocked To Learn That the ‘Weed’ Growing in Their Backyard Is Actually a Figurative Gold Mine originally appeared on Parade Home & Garden.
For many home gardeners, managing weeds can feel like a fulltime job. Discovering them, distinguishing them from the plants you want in your garden, and removing them can be a near daily task that can be hard on both your back and your wallet if you spring for fancy weed barriers and treatments.
However, one home gardener decided to take a break from the weed pulling rat race, electing to let a weed grow to full size as part of a backyard experiment. After seeing the plant flower, they decided to share their story with Reddit, prompting fellow Redditors to chime in about what the OP was actually growing in their garden, and how the mullein blooming in their landscape could actually be one of the most important plants that they have.
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According to the OP they decided to let an errant weed “embrace its final form,” before taking a picture of the pretty yellow plant to share on the message board. Much to their surprise, the gardening subreddit quickly jumped into action to identify the plant, and inform the OP of exactly what they had on their hands.
Related: Why You Need to Mulch Your Summer Garden
“That’s mullein,” one person wrote. “Medicinal plant that many consider a weed. It has beautiful foliage and bright yellow flowers.”
But, the plant is more than just a pretty flower, according to others. It’s also a good resource when you’re trying to get a cough under control. “When you have a cough — 1 tablespoon mullein, 1 teaspoon thyme. Soak in eight to 10 ounces of boiling water for seven minutes. Sweeten with honey and add lemon,” another person added. “It tastes like tea made from gym socks, but it works better as a cough suppressant than Robitussin.”
Some of the other benefits people added included their properties as a soil amendment, food for pollinators, the ability to use the dried flower stalks as torches, and as a toilet paper substitute when you’re in a pinch. However, with all those things going for it, a few people were sure to tell the OP about some of the downsides of plant, including the fact that it’s considered invasive in many areas of the U.S., cautioning others against planting it on purpose.
Love it or hate it, it’s clear that mullein has a place in some yards, if only because of how pretty it is.
Related: How Does Your Garden Grow?
Home Gardener Is Shocked To Learn That the ‘Weed’ Growing in Their Backyard Is Actually a Figurative Gold Mine first appeared on Parade Home & Garden on Jun 12, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade Home & Garden on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.