Foxgloves after flowering
When to cut back foxgloves - top tips for maintaining your garden
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FOXGLOVE flowers are clusters of tubular-shaped blooms in various colours, but when do you cut them back?
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Foxglove plants are striking plants which adorn many gardens across Britain. They can grow in almost any soil, but do not like extremely wet or dry conditions. Express.co.uk has compiled a list of top tips to help you grow and cut back these flowers.
Foxgloves are hugely popular cottage garden plants known for their bell-shaped and tubular flowers.
Most plants are biennial which means they put on root and foliage growth in year one.
They tend to flower and self-seed in year two before dying.
Foxglove is a flower which blooms during spring and summer, thriving in full sun or partial shade.
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When to cut back foxgloves: When should you cut back foxgloves? (Image: GETTY)
When to cut back foxgloves: Plants are biennial (Image: GETTY)
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All parts of foxgloves are poisonous and can kill an adult human if any part of it is infested.
You should grow foxgloves in moist but well-drained soil.
Most foxgloves thrive in dappled shade and prefer native habitats in woodland clearings or at the foot of a native hedge.
Foxgloves are very nectar-rich and therefore are highly appealing to pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies.
When to cut back foxgloves: All parts of foxgloves are poisonous (Image: GETTY)
How to grow foxgloves
These plants prefer lighter soils.
However, they will grow well in heavy clay soils with lots of added organic matter, such as compost.
You should sow foxglove seeds outdoors in late spring or early summer in well-prepared seedbeds and keep the soil moist until germination takes place.
Foxgloves can be planted at any time of the year, but you should avoid doing so when the soil is frozen solid, waterlogged or extremely dry.
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When to cut back foxgloves
Foxgloves require very little care and will flower and seed without any intervention from the gardener.
You should cut back the faded flower stems of foxgloves after the first flowers have finished.
When cutting back, you should try to cut the flower stems to group level and give them a good feed with liquid plant food to encourage a second flush of flowers.
When to cut back foxgloves: These plants require very little care and flower easily (Image: GETTY)
After flowering, you should cut back the faded flower stems to ground level, unless you want to collect seed for future sowing or want the plants to self-seed.
If you do want seeds for the future, you should cut down the stems after the seed has been collected or shed.
Deadheading spent blooms after flowering will encourage a second flush.
Perennial foxgloves should be cut back in autumn, ready to bloom again the following year.
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Tips for cutting back foxgloves plants
- Always use clean and sterile pruning shears
- Cut flowers off at a 45-degree angle - around a quarter of an inch above the next set of leaves.
- Be careful not to throw the spikes into the compost as they can regrow there.
- Reduce watering to every other week as your foxglove foliage dies in the late summer and early fall.
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What To Do With Foxgloves After Flowering
We love Foxgloves for their towers of flowers for weeks on end through late spring and early summer.
Spotted, speckled, and dazzling varieties of Foxgloves are naturally biennial.
Foxgloves grow in a mounding rosette of leaves in year one followed by tall spires of tubular flowers in the second spring.
While some Foxglove cultivars may bloom in their first season, many Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) species grow as reliable biennial plants.
Foxgloves are plants that readily reseed themselves. When planted two years in a row, a naturalized colony of Foxglove may develop.
In fact, one Foxglove plant can produce 1 to 2 million seeds. Notably, in areas of the west coast and New England US, Foxglove is on the invasive plant list.
Deadheading is one way to prevent flowers from producing seeds. In the case of Foxgloves, this can sometimes be a good idea.
A favorite deer-resistant perennial, Foxgloves are also a fantastic addition to your cottage garden ideas.
Like some other tall, towering perennials including Delphinium and Monkshood, Foxgloves are also poisonous.
We love the wildflower look of Foxgloves with their spotted landing pad for bees and butterflies.
The range of blossoms is spectacular as well, with bicolor, speckled, and solid flowers in peach, cream, coral, violet, purple, red, yellow, and white.
Foxglove also makes our list of favorite pink perennials, and they have flower options for every pink garden enthusiast.
A shade-loving flower, Foxglove will fancy up any shady border and thrives in wildflower gardens in shady spots.
What To Do With Foxgloves After Flowering
Oh, the choices we gardeners face! There are two distinct routes of what to do with Foxgloves when they finish flowering.
Route #1: Spread the Foxglove Love!
Let Foxglove reseed and form colonies throughout the garden. In the right place Foxgloves are an excellent choice for a self-seeding garden!
After your foxgloves finish flowering, don’t deadhead the flower spike and allow the seedpods to naturally ripen.
Not quite ripe yet.Over summer, they will dry out and open and disperse thousands – sometimes millions- of tiny little seeds which will drop below the plant and be dispersed all over the garden (and other nearby land) by wind.
Some of these seeds will find a perfect patch of bare soil and begin to germinate, popping up in late summer or early fall. The key is knowing what these little seedlings look like so they don’t get pulled during your routine weeding.
Planting Foxgloves two years in a row and letting them spread their seeds may result in a fabulous Foxglove colony.
If you’d rather more control over your foxglove planting, you can save your foxglove seeds to sow where you want them – or even start indoors.
Here’s a great guide to collecting foxglove seeds before they scatter all over your garden.
In general, Foxglove seeds germinate at 60° to 70° F with germination in 14 to 21 days. Sow seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost.
Route #2: Diligently Deadhead Foxgloves.
Diligently deadhead Foxgloves to prevent them from spreading throughout the landscape.
Wearing gloves (foxgloves are poisonous) remove flower spikes from the basal rosette. If there are side shoots, cut the stalk above them for the additional smaller flowers, if you like.
Deadheading Foxgloves reduces the millions of seeds your Foxglove plants make and is also a great choice to keep your garden tidy.
Moreover, this non-native wildflower might compete with wildflowers if it escapes your garden. This puts native plants and the wildlife that rely on them at risk.
In areas where Foxgloves are invasive, deadheading is an important step to protect native plants and animals.
Deadheading is sometimes a great idea even if you are saving seeds.
All you need to do is deadhead any lesser-quality flower stalks. The result is a healthier and more productive seed supply, with plants that also look great!
It’s best to dispose of the foxglove stalk than to compost it. The seeds will live on in the compost (unless you are hot composting) and when you spread it around your garden, you will also be spreading the foxglove seeds.
With spotted, speckled, and dazzling flowers through late spring and early summer, it is wonderful to know what to do with Foxgloves after flowering.
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Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/en/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: Garden Plants Returned: Last amendments:
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Plant foxglove, or digitalis (lat.
Digitalis) belongs to the genus of herbs of the Plantain family, although it was previously assigned to the Norichnikov family. The scientific name digitalis is derived from the Latin word meaning "thimble". The genus includes about 35 species, mostly found in the Mediterranean, but also found in other parts of Europe, as well as in Western Asia and North Africa. Two species of foxglove grow in Western Siberia and the European part of Russia, four species can be found in the Caucasus. nine0007
Selects foxglove flower forest clearings and edges, meadows and shrubs.
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Planting and caring for foxglove
- Planting: sowing seeds in the ground - in late April or early May, sowing seeds for seedlings - in early or mid-March, planting seedlings in the ground - in late May or early June .
- Flowering: from June to late summer.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
nine0012 - Soil: loose, permeable, fertile, in an area where water will not stagnate.
- Watering: moderate, but frequent and only during a long drought.
- Top dressing: 1-2 times per season with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
- Propagation: by seeds, including self-sowing, as well as by vegetative method - shoots.
- Pests: several species of aphids. nine0012
- Diseases: rot, spot, powdery mildew and virus mosaic.
- Properties: medicinal poisonous plant.
Read more about the cultivation of foxglove below
Botanical description
Digitalis can be a herbaceous perennial or biennial, and in the Western Mediterranean it can be a subshrub or even shrub. The stems of foxglove are rigid, 30 to 150 cm high, unbranched. Large light green leaves, entire, alternate, sharp, oblong and lanceolate, gradually turning into bracts.
Large, irregularly shaped yellow, reddish or purple flowers are collected in unilateral or bilateral apical brushes. nine0007
Bell-shaped foxglove flowers are arranged in such a way that pollen necessarily showers insects that climb into them, and then bees, flies, wasps and bumblebees transfer pollen to other flowers, carrying out pollination. The flowering of foxglove begins in June and ends by the beginning of autumn. The fruit of the plant is a box in which a large number of small brown seeds ripen, which remain viable for two to three years. One plant can carry up to 2,000,000 seeds.
All foxgloves are poisonous, so they are not grown in the flowerbeds of children's institutions. Some types of foxglove are decorative, and some are better known as medicinal plants. Digitalis leaves of many species contain glycosides used in folk and traditional medicine. nine0007
Herbaceous foxglove plant is undemanding to soil composition and care, drought-resistant and frost-resistant.
In this article, we will tell you how foxglove is planted and cared for, what types of plants are medicinal, how perennial foxglove is grown from seeds, and we will bring to your attention a lot of other information about digitalis.
Growing digitalis from seeds
How to sow seeds
Digitalis seeds are sown for seedlings in early or mid-March, after soaking them for a week in water, which is changed every 6 hours. It is not necessary to deep-seed the seeds, just sprinkle them lightly on top with sand, then cover the container with glass or film and place in a warm place with soft diffused light. nine0007
The foxglove can start sprouting in two weeks.
Care of seedlings
Seedlings develop very slowly at first, but as soon as they form the first leaves, pick the seedlings into separate cups or into a deeper and more spacious box at a distance of 7-10 cm. Caring for foxglove seedlings is no different from caring for any other seedlings: watering as the substrate dries, careful loosening of the soil, protection from direct sunlight and drafts.
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A couple of weeks before planting in open ground, hardening procedures are started to prepare the seedlings for garden conditions. Seedlings are exposed daily to fresh air, gradually increasing the duration of her stay in the garden or on the balcony. As soon as the seedlings can spend 24 hours outdoors, they can be planted in open ground.
Planting foxglove outdoors
When to plant
Plant foxglove seedlings in the garden when the threat of spring frosts has passed, that is, in late May or early June. By this time, usually the soil is already well warmed up, and 5-6 leaves have opened on the seedlings. Digitalis prefers open sunny areas, although it grows well in partial shade. However, it is undesirable to plant digitalis under deciduous trees, since moisture always lingers longer in the near-stem circles, and foxglove in such conditions may get wet or not bloom. And in the fall, falling leaves interfere with the plant.
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How to plant
Digitalis needs soil that is loose, fertile and moisture permeable, in which water will not stagnate. Dig up the soil in advance in the area to the depth of a shovel bayonet with the simultaneous application of 4-5 kg of compost or humus per m².
Foxglove is planted at a distance of 15-20 cm between seedlings in a row with a row spacing of 25-30 cm wide. Make holes in the soil a little larger than the root system of the seedlings and transfer the seedlings from the cups into the holes along with an earthen clod. If the seedlings are in a box, remove them from the ground and carefully place them in the hole. After planting, the surface of the site is compacted and watered. nine0007
In the first year foxglove forms a rosette of leaves, and flowering will not begin until the following year.
Care of digitalis
Growing conditions
Growing digitalis involves the usual procedures for gardeners - watering the digitalis, loosening the soil around the plants, removing weeds from the site, feeding and treating pests or diseases, if necessary.
Watering foxglove is carried out only in conditions of prolonged drought, but in a typical summer with rains, it is not necessary to water the plant. After watering or rain, the soil around the plants should be loosened shallowly and carefully - the digitalis root system is located horizontally in the soil, close to the surface, so it is easy to damage. nine0007
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Once or twice during the growing season foxglove is fed with a complex mineral fertilizer in liquid form - a solution of minerals is added to the water for irrigation.
During flowering, remove wilted flowers and inflorescences - this measure will prolong the flowering process, and digitalis will not lose its attractiveness until autumn.
Transplanting
Transplanting foxglove should not cause any problems - as already mentioned, the plant's root system is superficial, so digging up a bush is not difficult. The plant is placed in a pre-prepared hole, which should be slightly larger than the root system of a bush with an earthen clod.
After transplanting, the bush is watered. nine0007
Pests and diseases
Of the diseases, foxglove is most often affected by rot, spotting, powdery mildew and viral mosaic. In case of severe damage by powdery mildew and spotting, it is better to remove the diseased specimen from the site, and treat the rest of the plants with a fungicide solution. Unfortunately, viral diseases such as mosaic, as well as root rot and peduncle rot, are incurable, so the affected plants must be removed and burned.
Of the pests, foxglove is affected by several species of aphids, against which digitalis is treated with Biotlin, Antitlin and Iskra. Aphids are a carrier of incurable viral diseases, so it must be destroyed at the first sign of appearance. nine0007
As you can see, in general, foxglove planting and care in the open field are not burdensome at all.
Propagation of digitalis
Propagation of digitalis by seed method - seedlings and seedlings, as well as basal processes.
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Propagation by seeds
We have already described the seedling method of propagation of digitalis, but it is easier to grow foxglove by sowing seeds directly into the ground. This can be done in the spring, in the last decade of April or early May. Prepared, as for sowing seedlings, you should try to place the seeds at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other and only lightly sprinkle with soil. In a cool spring, crops are covered with lutrasil. Seedlings, if they turn out to be too thick, are thinned out to stimulate the development of large rosettes. nine0007
Digitalis also reproduces well by self-sowing.
Propagation by shoots
As for the vegetative method of propagation, basal shoots are used for this. Leave the most lush inflorescences for seeds, and carefully cut wilted brushes from other peduncles. Three weeks later, several basal rosettes form at the base of the cut peduncles, and as soon as 7-8 leaves form on each of them, they are carefully separated and planted in the ground.
Before the beginning of autumn, the rosettes will take root and overwinter normally, and next year they will give peduncles and flowers. nine0007
Perennial foxglove after flowering
Close to the surface, the foxglove root system is sometimes exposed, and in order for it to survive the winter, the roots should be sprinkled with nutrient soil in autumn. Perennial foxglove is cold-resistant, but in a snowless winter it can freeze. Cut off wilted and yellowed flower stalks and cover the outlet with dry leaves, sawdust or spruce branches. Young plants especially need shelter.
Species and varieties
The following species and varieties of foxglove are most often grown in cultivation:
Purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Native to Western, Southern and Central Europe. This perennial, often grown as a biennial plant, reaches a height of 150 cm. Its stems are erect, slightly branched and densely pubescent, with a rosette of basal leaves. Stem leaves on winged long petioles are arranged alternately, and the upper ones are sessile, rounded elongated, crenate along the edge, velvety above and with felt pubescence on the underside.
White, carmine, pink, cream or purple with short hairs and a dark stroke inside the corolla, flowers up to 5 cm long are collected in a racemose one-sided inflorescence up to 80 cm long. This species blooms from early to late summer. In culture for a very long time. nine0007
There are several varieties of foxglove purple - large-flowered, spotted and gloxiniform. Of the hybrids of digitalis gloxiniform, the Shirley variety is interesting - a plant up to one and a half meters high, continuously blooming with open drooping, spotted inside pink, purple or cream flowers, collected in a one-sided inflorescence.
Also popular is the hybrid mix Excelsior with peduncles up to 180 cm high, on which very large flowers are arranged in a spiral. The foxglove from the Pelorik mix is often grown in the garden, the peduncles of which, dotted with large flowers, also grow up to 180 cm. nine0007
Large-flowered foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora = Digitalis ambigua)
Grows naturally in Ukraine, Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the European part of Russia and in Southwestern Siberia.
In height, plants of this species rarely exceed 120 cm. They have oblong-lanceolate leaves, pubescent along the veins and along the edges. Yellow flowers with brown veins inside the corolla, reaching a length of 6 cm, are collected in drooping brushes. Outside, the flowers are slightly pubescent. This species has been cultivated since 1561; nine0007
Rusty foxglove (Digitalis ferruginea)
One of the most attractive types of digitalis, reaching a height of 70 to 120 cm, although in some cases it can grow up to 2 m. The leaves of this species are oblong-lanceolate, glabrous or slightly pubescent. Flowers up to 4 cm long resemble an orchid with a pronounced lower lip. The color of the flowers is varied - from a pale yellow with a pink bloom to a grayish yellow, which turns into a rusty or golden brown. From the inside, the corolla is decorated with purple or reddish-brown veins. The flowers are collected in large brushes, the flowering of which lasts from the second half of June to August.
In culture foxglove rusty with 1597 years old
Woolly foxglove (Digitalis lanata)
Perhaps the most nondescript kind of digitalis growing naturally in Moldova. This foxglove is medicinal, not decorative, and it has its own merits and advantages. The plant has a single peduncle, on which small brownish-yellow flowers with purple veins open. The axis of the inflorescence is covered with dense pubescence, which is why the plant got its name. Flowering foxglove woolly begins in July and lasts about a month and a half; nine0007
Yellow foxglove (Digitalis lutea)
Grows in the southwest of Europe, reaching a height of 80 to 100 cm. This plant has no pubescence either on oblong-oval leaves or on stems. Yellow flowers up to 2.5 cm long bloom in July. Cultivated since 1597. The most famous variety is Gelb Janus with flowers of a delicate yellow hue.
Dark foxglove, or obscure, Tapsi, Merton, Nevada, ciliate and some other species and hybrid forms are also grown in the culture.
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Benefits and harms of foxglove
Medicinal properties
For a long time, healers used foxglove to treat epilepsy, abdominal and chest dropsy, used it to relieve pain in skin diseases, as well as a remedy for constipation and to cleanse the body. However, with the wrong dosage, vomiting, diarrhea, and often death were observed. Therefore, for a whole century, humanity forgot about foxglove.
Digitalis has been used in traditional medicine since the eighteenth century. It was then that its unusual properties were discovered. The main medicinal raw materials are the leaves of the plant, which are harvested in the first year. They contain 62 glycosides, including gitoxin and digitoxin, lanatosides A, B, C, D, E and others. These biologically active substances are very important in the fight against many cardiovascular diseases. Digitalis used:
- to strengthen the walls of blood vessels;
- to improve blood supply to muscles and tissues;
- for the normalization of hemodynamics;
- for cardiosclerosis;
- from tachycardia, hypertension, myocardial dystrophy, mitral defects;
- for atrial fibrillation.
Woolly foxglove is most often used as a medicinal plant. Organic acids, cardiotonic and steroid glycosides are obtained from it. Purple, ciliated and rusty digitalis are also used in medicine, which, although to a lesser extent, also contain biologically active substances. nine0007
Digitalis leaves are used to make a powder, which is used in suppositories and tablets. In folk medicine, foxglove infusion is also used.
Contraindications
Literally all types of foxglove are poisonous, so it is strongly not recommended to self-medicate. It is forbidden to use digitalis preparations for people with diseased lungs, angina pectoris, pericarditis, myocarditis, myocardial infarction, gastric tachycardia, as well as children and pregnant women. Digitalis poisoning is manifested by nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, skin rashes, convulsions, respiratory failure, and heart failure. nine0007
At the first sign of digitalis poisoning, an ambulance should be called immediately.
With prolonged use of drugs from the plant, toxic substances accumulate in the body, which can lead to loss of appetite, anorexia and hallucinations.
Literature
- Read related topics on Wikipedia
- Peculiarities and other plants of the Plantain family
- List of all species on The Plant List
- More information on World Flora Online
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Article
- 1 Lock: Description
- 2 Growing ships from seeds
- 2.
1 seed sowing - 2.2 Care for seedlings
- 2.
- 3 outdoors
- 3.1 When to plant foxglove?
- 3.2 How to plant foxglove?
- 4 Care of foxglove in the garden
- 4.1 Watering
- 4.2 Feeding and fertilizing
- 4.3 Transplant
- 4.4 Diseases and pests
- 4.5 Pruning
- 5 Care after flowering and preparation for winter
- 6 Putter
- 7 Views
- 8 Obits of the Registration Regulations. Obits of Registration Regulations. Obits of Registration Regulations 8.2 Contraindications
- 9.1 Digitalis in garden design
- 9.2 Combination with other plants in the field
Digitalis (Latin name - Digitalis) is an ornamental medicinal plant of the Plantain family. Digitalis is not a capricious flower, but anyone who is going to grow it should know: how and when to sow the seeds; what varieties and types of foxglove exist; how it is applied and what kind of care it requires.
Digitalis description
Digitalis, native to Northern Africa, Eastern Europe and Western Asia, can be both annual and perennial (ceases to bloom over the years) plant. nine0007
What the flower looks like:
- Rigid unbranched stems , from 30 (small-flowered variety) to 150 cm (purple).
- Leaves are large , petiolate, light green, pointed, oblong and alternately arranged with a hairy reverse side.
- The flowers are large, reminiscent of bells or thimbles (for which the plant got its name), arranged in such a way as to shower pollen on all insects that land on them. nine0012
Digitalis blooms all summer long. It is undemanding to soils and growing conditions, therefore it is a favorite plant of landscape designers.
The plant produces poisonous sap and should not be grown in a garden where small children can play. The leaves, stems and roots of foxglove are widely used in traditional medicine recipes for the treatment of serious diseases, due to the content of glycosides in them.
Growing foxglove from seeds
Sowing seeds
To obtain seedlings, plant seeds soaked in water beforehand are planted in potting soil (begonia, azalea or universal) in early spring. Seedlings are changed every 6 hours throughout the week.
Planting tips:
- Seeds are evenly distributed over moist soil and lightly covered with sand.
- Covered with clear plastic bag, film or glass
- The seed container is placed in a warm, well-lit place. East and west window sills or a room with diffused light are best suited for this. nine0012
- It is important to avoid direct sunlight and extremely dark and dry places.
After 2-3 weeks, the first foxglove shoots can be observed, then the film can be removed and the containers can be rearranged in a more illuminated room.
Seedling care
Seedling care includes the following items:
- When 6 true leaves of are formed, foxglove seedlings should be picked in separate containers.
- It is necessary to water seedlings as the soil dries out (drying out is unacceptable) and periodically gently loosen the earth around the plant.
- It is very important to protect seedlings from direct sunlight and the slightest draft.
- A week before planting seedlings in open ground, it is worth periodically exposing them to fresh air, thereby preparing the plant for future stay in open ground.
- When the maximum outdoor time reaches 9 days0084, then this is a sign that it is time to plant seedlings in prepared and fertilized soil.
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Outdoor planting - and breathability.
Tips for choosing a planting site:
- Digitalis does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, so the planting site should have good drainage with a removal of melt water in the spring.
nine0012 - Digitalis will grow well in the center of a flower garden under hot sun and among shrubs in a less lit area.
- Before planting seedlings , plowing is carried out to the depth of the arable horizon (20 cm), manure, nitrophoska, wood ash or compost (5 kg/m2) are introduced into it, and sprinkled with a small amount of earth. With high acidity of the soil, a small amount of lime is added to the soil.
- Place for planting foxglove in the garden is chosen open, light or slightly shaded. nine0012
- It is important to avoid replanting plants under deciduous trees, as fall foliage that gets on plants causes stagnation of water in the soil, causing digitalis roots to rot or become diseased.
When to plant foxglove?
- After the seeds sown in April have matured and gone through the hardening process , it is time to plant them in the open ground.
As a rule, this happens at the beginning of summer, when the earth has warmed up enough, and sudden frosts are no longer terrible. nine0012 - Sometimes foxglove seeds are planted directly into the soil. Such a planting is carried out in early May, a pit for the plant is prepared in advance.
- Many gardeners say that it is better to plant seedlings in autumn because the plant develops slowly and does not have time to get stronger during the season. This opinion takes place in the northern regions of our country.
- Despite the fact that foxglove is quite frost-resistant , it is still worth covering it for the winter with spruce branches, branches or straw. nine0012
How to plant foxglove?
- The plant is sown with seeds in prepared soil at the beginning of June. The distance between the holes should be 5 cm and the row spacing 40 cm. The seed material is evenly distributed over the surface and lightly sprinkled with earth.
- Planting foxglove seedlings is carried out in dug up , fertilized and well aerated soil. The gap between seedlings with this method should be 20 cm, and the row spacing should be about 25 cm. The holes in the soil for seedlings should be slightly deeper than the length of the root system. Seedlings are planted by transshipment of an earthen coma. After planting, the soil is compacted and watered. nine0012
Flowering of the plant can be observed only in the second year of life.
Digitalis care in the garden
Digitalis care includes a number of activities: watering, loosening (after watering), weed removal, fertilization and insect control when necessary. If the place for planting the plant is chosen correctly, then it will not require special attention to itself. It grows well in the southern regions of Russia
Watering
Digitalis is watered only during the dry season . Under normal conditions with non-dry and rainy summers, digitalis does not need to be specially watered.
Otherwise, watering should be as the substrate dries in abundant quantities.
After watering or past rain, the soil around the plant should be loosened shallowly and cleared of weeds. This must be done very carefully so as not to touch the roots lying close to the surface.
Top dressing and fertilizer
Top dressing is carried out, adhering to certain rules. Overfeeding the plant with fertilizers entails the growth of only green mass without flowering. nine0007
Basic rules for feeding foxglove:
- In summer, 1-2 times per foxglove are fed with complex nitrogen fertilizer.
- In the spring of the second year of life, perennial digitalis is fertilized with mixtures containing phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
- Mullein or compost is applied to the soil a week before planting seedlings in the ground.
- A little Nitrofoska or wood ash can be added to seedling holes.
Transplant
If necessary, digitalis can always change its usual place of growth. Transplanting foxglove is easy - the plant tolerates this procedure quite calmly.
Transplanting foxglove does not require much effort, as the plant's root system is close to the surface of the earth.
It is also not advisable to choose a new landing site in the shade or in direct sunlight. The hole under the plant should slightly exceed the size of its root. After transplanting, the ground around the plant is watered. nine0007
Diseases and pests
The following diseases most often affect foxglove:
- spotting;
- root or stem rot;
- viral mosaic;
- peduncle rot;
- powdery mildew.
When signs of these diseases are found, it is better to immediately remove foxglove from the soil, and treat all nearby plants with fungicides.
Digitalis is most often attacked by aphids, moths and nematodes.
To combat them, insecticides are used (Antitlin, Biotlin, Aktara, Vitaros and Iskra). It is important to treat at the first manifestations of the pest. nine0007
Pruning
Seasonal pruning rules:
- During the summer season decorative shaping of the bush is not required.
- For winter the stems of the plant are cut in half without affecting the basal foliage, this helps to protect the roots from freezing.
- And in the spring you can put the appearance of the plant in order.
Gardeners have noticed that the number of surviving leaves indicates the future strength of the plant. The more of them, the sooner digitalis will develop and gain green mass. nine0007
Care after flowering and preparation for winter
To preserve the decorativeness of the plant, gardeners recommend removing wilted inflorescences by cutting them with secateurs.
Before wintering, cut the stems to half height and cover the basal rosette with foliage, spruce branches, moss, straw or branches.
Exposed roots must be covered with soil. Some varieties of plants can withstand even the most severe frosts.
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Propagation of foxglove
If this plant is not yet in the garden, then it can be grown from seedlings or seeds planted in open ground. Sowing is carried out only in prepared soil.
Most often, foxglove reproduces by seeds, which it itself scatters around the bush after the bolls are fully ripe (self-sowing).
In vegetative propagation of foxglove, basal shoots with 7-8 leaves are used. You can cause its appearance by pruning peduncles. nine0007
Foxglove shoots for reproduction:
- Carefully dug up and planted in a new place.
- At this time, the shoots require special care, uniform watering and loosening of the soil.
- By September, the sprouts will get stronger and will be ready for wintering, and next year they will give the garden their beautiful flowering.
Types and varieties of foxglove
There are about 35 types of foxglove.
Most common in the garden:
- Illumination Pink . The flowers of the plant are peach-pink, densely arranged along numerous stems. The plant behaves like a perennial. It blooms all summer, reproduces only vegetatively, does not produce seeds.
- Garden Queen . It is used for group plantings, decorating walls and for cutting. An unpretentious biennial to planting conditions, preferring shady places with well-moistened soil. The flowers are pink, purple, cream, white with splashes. nine0012
- Spotted Giant . A biennial variety of purple foxglove with light large (about 5 cm long) spotted flowers. In the second year of life, it reproduces well by self-seeding, thanks to cross-pollination. Planting a plant in a permanent place is carried out in September.
- Purple (Digitalis purpurea).
Widely loved by gardeners perennial species, but more often used as a biennial. The inflorescences are large from white to purple with a dark center, reach a length of 6 cm. The species blooms all summer. The height of the erect stems of the plant reaches 150 cm. - Yellow (Digitalis lutea). This type of digitalis is a wild perennial with yellow and light yellow dense inflorescences. Stems and leaves do not have characteristic hairiness. It reaches a height of 100 cm. The species has existed for 400 years and grows in southwestern Europe.
- Rusty (Digitalis ferruginea). This is a perennial unpretentious plant with a fleecy cover only in the lower part of the stems. Flowers up to 4 cm long, resemble an orchid. The color of the petals is light yellow, brown-yellow, green-yellow with brown or purple spots. The foxglove of this species is unpretentious in care and tolerates winter well. nine0012
- Woolly (Digitalis lanata).
Perennial, but more commonly used as a biennial. The stems are pubescent only in the upper part, and reach a height of no more than 100 cm. The flowers are yellow, brown-yellow in length do not exceed 4 cm, petals, petals are woolly. Does not tolerate severe frosts and too dark terrain. - Large-flowered (Digitalis grandiflora). A perennial species that blooms in the second year of planting, therefore it is often used as a biennial. The stems are slightly branched, with a large number of leaves at the base. The flowers are light or dark yellow with brown patches, their length reaches 5 cm. In the wild, it reproduces by self-sowing, but it is better to prepare seedlings in greenhouses and plant them before winter or early spring. nine0012
- Tapsi (Digitalis thapsii). Spanish perennial with large, lanceolate, silvery leaves. It reaches a height of 80 cm. The flowers are crimson in color with a light throat, up to 2.5 cm long. It is thermophilic, so the plant must be covered for the winter.
- Small-flowered (Digitalis parviflora). A perennial dwarf species, reaching a maximum height of 60 cm. The stem is straight, dark purple in color with leaves pubescent on the underside. The flowers are small (1-2 cm long), dark purple or red-brown with purple splashes. Light-loving species, withstands frosts down to -20 degrees. nine0012
- Ciliated (Digitalis ciliata). Low (30-60 cm in height) perennial plant with several stems. Leaves lanceolate, sessile. The flowers are yellowish-white, 5 cm long. Foxglove ciliate blooms in June-July, frost-resistant.
- Merton's (Digitalis x mertonensis), Merton's foxglove or strawberry flower. Perennial hybrid of purple and large-flowered digitalis. It reaches a height of 80 cm. Strawberry-colored flowers interspersed. Feature of a grade: blossoms early, in May-June. nine0012
Properties of foxglove
Digitalis is a medicinal, albeit poisonous plant that is used for the treatment of cardiovascular pathologies.
The sap of the plant, if it enters a young body, can provoke severe poisoning, therefore the plant is not grown near playgrounds or institutions. Long-term use of medicines based on plant parts is also unacceptable, since glycosides tend to accumulate in the body. nine0007
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Medicinal properties
Pharmaceuticals containing parts of the foxglove plant:
- Digoxin;
- Digipurene;
- Celanide;
- Digitoxin;
- Cordigid;
- dry leaves of the plant and extract of the green part of the plant in tablets.
The drugs are widely used in medicine for the treatment of cardiac pathologies and circulatory problems. They are able to eliminate attacks of atrial fibrillation, improve blood flow, overcome cardiosclerosis, tachycardia and hypertension,
In folk medicine, purple and many-flowered digitalis (all above-ground parts of the plant) are most often used.
Dry digitalis leaf powder is beneficial in wound healing.
Infusions and decoctions of foxglove are used for:
- epilepsy;
- skin infections;
- fever;
- pain syndromes;
- bleeding;
- various kinds of nervous disorders.
Digitalis root is used to treat anthrax. nine0007
Despite such a wide range of medicinal properties, it is still better to handle foxglove carefully, otherwise the glycosides contained in it can cause severe poisoning.
An overdose of drugs is dangerous and can cause:
- vomiting;
- nausea;
- sudden weight loss;
- skin rashes;
- diarrhea;
- abdominal cramps.
Hospitalization for these symptoms is necessary because excessive accumulation of digitalis in the body can cause cardiac arrest in the patient. nine0007
Contraindications
Take medicines containing foxglove only when prescribed by a doctor, otherwise it can harm the body.
Doses of drugs are also recommended by a specialist.
Direct contraindications to taking drugs based on digitalis are:
- pregnancy;
- amyloidosis;
- bradycardia;
- hypokalemia;
- pericarditis;
- acute respiratory failure; nine0011 myocarditis;
- myxedema;
- frequent angina pectoris;
- chronic lung pathologies;
- sinus node weakness;
- thyrotoxicosis;
- cor pulmonale;
- cardioversion;
- myocardial infarction;
- valve stenosis;
- ventricular fibrillation;
- atrioventricular block;
- ventricular tachycardia;
- hypersensitivity.
Digitalis is a poisonous dangerous plant that can be fatal. nine0007
In case of poisoning, the patient has diarrhea, blue lips, arrhythmia, asthma attacks, nausea and vomiting. With obvious symptoms of poisoning, they take activated charcoal and call for emergency help.
There are various rumors about foxglove, someone considers it an excellent medicine, and someone calls it a "killer", so you should not self-medicate with this plant.
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Digitalis in landscape design
Digitalis in garden design
At the cottage, foxglove is used to decorate verandas, terraces, gazebos and alpine slides. Even the smallest varieties are not suitable for creating a border, but foxglove looks great in containers and boxes, in decorating fences, as a spectacular vertical in a flower garden and in decorating walls of buildings.
Digitalis looks perfect against the background of mock orange, honeysuckle, rhododendron, vesicle, viburnum and other ornamental shrubs.
In a vase, foxglove is no more whimsical than in a flower bed; when cut, it will stand quietly for up to 2 weeks. nine0007
Examples of using foxglove in garden design:
Combination with other plants on the plot
Digitalis looks organic in single and group plantings.
