Comfrey

Comfrey is noted by both organic gardeners and herbalists for its great usefulness and versatility. Of particular interest is the 'Bocking 14' cultivar of Russian Comfrey. This strain was developed during the 1950s by Lawrence D. Hills, who founded the organic gardening organization now known as Garden Organic. Lawrence D. Hills was the world authority on comfrey. In this book, he wrote for farmers and gardeners in all countries, showing how this useful plant could be cultivated in both tropical and temperate zones to produce a crop equally rewarding for gardener, smallholder and mechanized farmer. Subtitled 'Past, Present and Future,' on its publication in 1976, this was the most comprehensive survey of the properties and cultivation of comfrey ever, and Comfrey remains undoubtedly the essential book on the subject, as well as a lasting testament to Lawrence D. Hills's indefatigable efforts to achieve a better understanding of it.

Lawrence D. Hills (1911-1991) was a British horticulturalist, journalist, and writer who founded the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA), now known as Garden Organic. Hills' research into the Russian Comfrey plant introduced him to Doubleday's work in this field, work which Hills built upon and furthered. Gardening correspondent of the Observer for eight years, Hills' books included Fertility Without Fertilisers, Down to Earth Gardening, and Organic Gardening, but he was best known for Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables, which became a canonical text for gardeners and commercial organic growers.