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When do you plant foxglove


Planting foxgloves: when, where and how to grow foxgloves

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Planting foxgloves is easy to do – and once done, you can enjoy their eye-catching and colorful bell-shaped flowers on long spires filling garden beds and borders from late spring.

Foxgloves are a stalwart of the cottage garden style but will add color and height to any style of back yard and mixed border. 

Their late spring or early summer appearance is appreciated for the naturalistic impact they add to any scene.

Some varieties will happily self-seed, forming self-perpetuating colonies of flowers, and are a favorite flower of bees, providing a valuable source of nectar, so add them to your flowerbed ideas to benefit both your garden and wildlife.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Planting foxgloves – which varieties to grow?

Foxgloves make a fabulous addition to flower beds, make excellent woodland plants, and are lovely as cut flowers to enjoy in indoor displays, too.

When you are considering how to grow foxgloves, the most common varieties are Digitalis Purpurea, or common foxglove, with their pink, purple white or apricot flowers.

However, with 24 species of foxgloves, and around 40 cultivars, there are more varieties to try than you may realize, with different colors, shapes and sizes to choose from.

‘There is a foxglove for almost any part of your garden, from the woodland shade to the hot sunny border,’ explain Mary and Terry Baker, who hold the British national collection of digitalis at their Botanic Nursery and Gardens .

‘Over the years, breeding has brought in some new varieties that flower for a longer period with stronger colors,’ explains Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants .

Some foxgloves are biennials, whereas others are perennials, so check which variety you are planting.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Is it easy to grow foxgloves?

Foxgloves are easy to grow, either from seed, seedlings or plug plants, and the common foxglove self seeds freely. The tubular blooms of the common foxglove also provide a valuable source of nectar, so consider gracing borders with drifts of these flowers as one of your wildlife garden ideas.

These lovely flowers make a pleasing foil for old-fashioned roses, are at home with spring flowering shrubs in borders or woodland clearings, and are attractive combined with summer bulbs, irises, hesperis and aquilegia.

‘Digitalis work well with alliums and geums to give a wonderful early summer display. The perennial forms are great for later in the season, some in shadier places mixing well with grasses and heleniums,’ says Rosy Hardy.

However, do take caution when growing foxgloves: they are poisonous if consumed, so do not plant in reach of pets or children. It is also a good idea to wear gloves and wash your hands after handling them, too.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Where do foxgloves grow best?

Most foxgloves grow best and thrive in dappled shade under large trees and shrubs. They are therefore a good choice for underplanting some of the best trees for shade.

However, there are some species that require full sun to do well, so you can find varieties to suit the chosen location in your back yard. 

‘Foxgloves give that height required early in the season in a cottage garden style or mixed border,’ explains Rosy Hardy.

Their statuesque flower spikes grow from 30cm up to 2m or more. 

‘Try growing foxgloves in a group for best impact. The seed needs light to germinate, so choosing the correct variety for the area is important,’ says Mary Baker. 

Foxgloves like good air circulation and not being overcrowded, and will grow in any well-drained, moist soil, rich in organic matter, although acidic soil with a pH under 6.0 is ideal. Avoid very dry or very wet soils. 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

How do you plant foxgloves?

You need to plan ahead when growing foxgloves as the biennial varieties won't flower until the second year. To get common foxgloves to self-seed around the garden, plant them two years in a row.

In the summer of the first year, biennial varieties of foxgloves will put on leaf and root growth, they then remain dormant over winter, before bolting in early spring and flowering in early summer. 

The great thing about foxgloves, as with many biennial flowers, such as honesty, campions and sweet rocket, is that they flower early in the summer, from late May and June through to July, filling the gap between the spring bulbs and the summer annuals.

When deciding how to grow foxgloves, there are a number of options open to you. You may choose to buy plug plants, garden ready plants or grow from seed. 

If you get plug plants, pot them on into individual pots, keep in a cool, frost-free spot, let them acclimatize and double in size before planting into the garden.

Garden-ready plants, on the other hand, are a little larger and can be planted into pots to grow a little more or be planted straight into their garden position.  

Dig in some well-rotted compost before planting and then mulch over the surface. Space young plants 30-35cm apart so they can spread out their rosette of leaves.

Water newly planted foxgloves for the first few months to help them spread their roots. Once established in their rich soil, they should only require watering in dry summer spells.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

How do you grow foxgloves from seed?

Foxgloves are easy to grow from seed, plus growing from seed is cheaper and there is often a greater variety to choose from. 

You can scatter seeds directly in your garden, but as they are so tiny you may get better success sowing them indoors on good quality seed compost. 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Can you grow foxgloves in containers?

Most foxgloves can be grown in large containers as part of your container gardening ideas and there are also dwarf varieties available. 

‘When growing foxgloves in containers, use a quality compost and feed the plant regularly, either with a slow release fertilizer or liquid feed.  Do not let the plant get pot bound and do not overwater them. Cutting back the spent flower stems encourages even more flower stems to grow,’ says Mary Baker. 

A mature foxglove can reach up to 5 metres in height, so you will need a large container.  

’If you are planting foxgloves with other plants, make sure not to overcrowd the plants, as this could cause diseases, such as leaf spot,' advises Adam Alexander, horticulturalist at RHS Wisley  

'Foxgloves love humus-rich soil so add some of the most decomposed compost from your compost bin to the potting compost. Position your container in an area of the garden that is in full sun or part shade,’ Adam adds.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

How do you keep foxgloves blooming?

You only need to give foxgloves a little care to keep them blooming.

Foxgloves require very little maintenance. Deadheading during flowering will encourage fresh blooms, conserve the energy of the plant and improve longevity. Removing the central flower spike in particular will encourage stronger side or ‘prince’ shoots. Leave some of the flower heads though to set seed and create the next generation of blooms.

‘With the exception of one or two of the rare species, foxgloves are hardy, so don’t mollycoddle them,’ says Mary Baker. 

Harvest some of the seed of your favourite biennial to increase your stock. To do this, cut the stem with the seed capsules, place in a large paper bag and once dry the seed will fall out and will be ready to pack and store. 

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Do foxgloves come back every year?

There are some foxgloves that come back every year.

Some foxgloves are hardy biennials, such as foxgloves Digitalis purpurea and D. purpurea f. albiflora. This means they produce foliage and root growth in the first year, then flower and set seed in the second year before dying back. As they self-seed so freely, they can be thought of as short-lived perennials.

The species foxgloves are perennials, such as Digitalis Grandiflora, which flower a little later in summer, and will come back every year, lasting for three to five years.

‘Foxgloves are misunderstood as most gardeners think they are biennials. The species come true from seed, while the biennials cross-pollinate. Because of their ability to set seed easily, breeders can create wonderful hybrids that flower in their first year and continue to do so for a couple more years. Many set seed, but seldom recreate the parent they came from,’ explains Mary Baker.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Do foxgloves spread?

Many foxgloves do spread as they readily set seed, meaning you can easily grow a bed full of them after a couple of years. In fact, they are so easy to grow this way that gardening guru Monty Don describes them as ‘a welcome weed’.  

If you don’t want foxgloves to spread then the simple way to prevent this is to deadhead the flowers before they set seed. If you want more flowers, then simply leave them to do their thing. Alternatively, you can collect the seeds for sowing in trays.

If seedlings do pop up you can also easily transplant them to other areas of the garden. ‘We collect seedlings and move them to select spots around the garden, ideally with light shade, although, like all biennials, this must be done in the fall or late winter at the latest,’ reveals Monty Don in his book The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening . 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Do foxgloves like sun or shade?

Foxgloves are native to woodland areas so many prefer partial shade.

However, there are some varieties that can be grown in full sun, so do your research to find the best variety to suit the location where you want to grow foxgloves.

‘You can use foxgloves in many different styles of gardening. For a natural woodland style planting in an area with dappled shade, I would combine them with Campanula rotundifolia, common harebell and ferns such as Polystichum, Japanese tassel fern,' says Adam Alexander.

'For a sunnier spot of the garden, I would recommend a spring cottage style planting. Foxgloves combined with peonies, roses and salvia will give you a show of flowers from late spring to fall,’ Adam explains.

Do foxgloves need to be staked?

Taller foxgloves may need to be staked to protect them from strong winds. Where possible when growing foxgloves, place them in the sheltered position where they won't be as much at the mercy of the elements. 

Leigh Clapp is a professional photographer with over 25 years experience, primarily as a garden specialist photojournalist but also with food and travel. She delights in exploring gardens, discovering the tiny elements to their overall essence and meeting lots of enthusiastic gardeners along the way. Leigh’s work appears in magazines, newspapers and books, both in the UK and abroad, including Period Living, Country Life, and Gardens Illustrated; as well as being sole photographer for a number of books, including Garden Details, Feng Shui in the Garden, Vertical Gardens and From the Garden – fresh seasonal cooking.

When to Plant Foxglove Seeds | Home Guides

By Eulalia Palomo Updated November 22, 2019

When foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) flower in early to midsummer, spikes of bell-shaped flowers make a bold statement in the garden. Plant foxgloves en masse in woodland gardens, cottage gardens and borders. When planted from seed, these biennials produce roots and leaves the first year but no flowers. During the second season, foxgloves produce a 2- to 5-foot-tall flower stalk and flowers. Foxgloves grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8.

Sow Foxglove Seeds in Summer

The best time to sow foxglove seeds is late summer right after the seedpods mature, but if you miss the summer planting you can plant the seeds in fall or spring. Harvest seeds as soon as the pods turn uniformly brown and start to split open. The simplest way to harvest foxglove seeds is by holding an envelope or a fine-mesh bag under the pods and gently shaking the seeds out. Foxgloves self-seed readily, so any unharvested seeds are likely to germinate and grow the following season.

Soil Preparation

Before planting foxglove seeds, get the garden ready by turning over the soil and adding compost. Compost improves the soil texture and drainage while adding nutrients to the garden bed. Add a 2- to 4-inch-deep layer of compost over the soil and dig it into the top 12 to 15 inches of the garden bed, mixing and blending it thoroughly. Amending the soil is most important in clay soil conditions, but even in sandy and loamy soil, adding compost improves the growing environment.

Direct Sowing

Foxglove seeds need light to germinate. The best way to plant foxglove seeds is by surface sowing them, which means simply scattering the seeds on top of the soil. Aim for a spacing of about 1 inch between seeds. Pricking out foxglove seedlings is done once the plants are established. Thin them to a spacing of 12 to 24 inches between plants to prevent overcrowding. Gently rake the seeds into the soil but avoid burying them or they will fail to germinate. After planting, give the area a good soaking to dampen the soil 1 to 2 inches deep. Foxglove seeds take 20 to 30 days to germinate.

Starting Seeds Indoors

You can start foxglove seeds in pots or seed flats indoors or in a greenhouse in late fall, winter or early spring. When selecting pots and seed flats, look for ones that have drainage holes in the bottom and use seed starting compost or a soilless seed starting mix rather than garden soil. Surface sow the seeds by placing them on top of the soil about 1 inch apart. Growing foxgloves in pots requires that the seeds germinate in bright, indirect light at 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Foxglove Warnings

Foxgloves are poisonous. Avoid ingesting any part of the plant, including the seeds, leaves and flowers. One benefit of this plant's poisonous nature is that deer avoid it when they are stripping a garden of tasty edible blossoms. Foxglove is also invasive in some areas because it self-seeds readily. To help prevent spreading, cut the flowers before new seeds develop.

References

Writer Bio

Eulalia Palomo has been a professional writer since 2009. Prior to taking up writing full time she has worked as a landscape artist and organic gardener. Palomo holds a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from Boston University. She travels widely and has spent over six years living abroad.

outdoor cultivation, planting and care, properties, photo

Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/en/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: Garden Plants Returned: Last amendments:

Content

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

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. nine0007

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. nine0007

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

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 foxglove 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.

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. After three weeks, 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. nine0007

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:

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

  1. Read related topics on Wikipedia
  2. Peculiarities and other plants of the Plantain family
  3. List of all species on The Plant List
  4. More information on World Flora Online


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Digitalis: planting and care.

How to grow foxglove from seeds. Photo: foxglove in the garden

Digitalis is an amazing, fabulous, even a little mystical flower. They say that before it was actively used by witches, for which it was popularly called "Witch's thimbles", less often "Witch's finger". Some people still believe that little people live in the forests - elves, flaunting hats made of foxglove flowers. She liked not only fairy-tale creatures, but also gardeners. For a long time they began to decorate their flower beds and gardens with it. Such a wonderful flower - foxglove ... Planting and caring for it almost never causes difficulties, the main thing is to follow the simple rules of agricultural technology. nine0321

Botanical description of the flower and seeds

Digitalis, planting and caring for which, in principle, is simple, has attracted great interest in recent years as a beautiful ornamental culture. Its flowers look like bells and are petals fused into tubules and slightly bent at the end. Insects like to bask in them on cool nights. The stamens are located at the top of the flower. Insects, getting along the narrow corolla to the desired nectar, involuntarily touch the stamen anthers, and the pollen falls on their backs. Moving further, the insects touch the pistil with their backs. This is how foxglove is pollinated. Its fruit is a dense box of oval, quadrangular or irregular shape. In each of them, several thousand very small seeds ripen. If they are not collected on time, they spill out onto the ground and later germinate on their own. nine0321 Photo: Digitalis in landscape design.

How to grow foxglove from seeds in your garden

Digitalis propagate only by seeds. Only in some species, varieties and hybrids, the bush is divided into 4-5 parts in order to obtain new plants and rejuvenate existing ones; for this, side rosettes are carefully separated. Growing foxglove from seeds is not difficult, because you can collect tens of thousands of them from each plant! It is better if these are seeds from the lower, largest flowers. They do not require pre-sowing preparation (with rare exceptions). They can be sown in the ground in the last days of April, early May. Growing foxglove from seeds begins with choosing a location. These flowers love open sunny areas, but grow well in partial shade. It is undesirable to plant them only under deciduous trees, because the foliage falling in autumn interferes with foxglove. In addition, it is unlikely that it will be possible to grow foxglove from seeds in places where moisture is constantly kept. There they can get wet, and the resulting plants will feel uncomfortable or not bloom at all. The exception is only a few members of the genus. The soil for foxglove is suitable for any that has good drainage, allowing excess moisture to easily leave. nine0007


Photo: Digitalis purple in the garden

How to sow digitalis

To grow digitalis from seed, you need to follow the recommendations of experienced flower growers. They advise to loosen the soil before sowing seeds. Holes and grooves should not be made. Foxglove seeds are too small. If there is a thick layer of earth above them, the sprouts will not be able to break through it. Therefore, the seeds are placed directly on the ground. They can only be lightly powdered with earth or sand. Some gardeners first sow the seeds in shallow boxes and cover them with glass, and later transplant them to a permanent place. To obtain earlier shoots, the seeds are soaked in water. If you add a little potassium permanganate there (the solution should be slightly pink), foxglove sprouts will be protected from many diseases. It is necessary to keep the seed in such a solution for no more than 20-25 minutes. It is difficult to sow foxglove so that the seedlings are at the proper distance from each other. As a rule, sprouts sprout densely. To get tall, strong and beautiful plants, seedlings must be thinned out. It is better to do this in several stages. The first time the sprouts are in the cotyledon stage. There is no need to worry if the seedlings grow slowly. For foxglove, this is a normal physiological process. The second time the seedlings break through when 4-6 leaves appeared. At this stage, you can not destroy the extra foxglove, but find another place for them. The final distance between sprouts should be greater, the larger the variety. The minimum distance is 25-30 centimeters. In the first year foxgloves form lush rosettes of leaves and only in the second year they throw out flower stalks. This must be taken into account when designing a flower garden. Recently, breeders have bred varieties of annual foxglove that bloom after planting immediately in the first year. nine0007

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Photo: Using a flower arrangement

Pastens Care

Sown as well as the sown deposit has successfully rose and develops. Further care for her is also simple. In order for the roots of the foxglove to receive oxygen, the earth around the plant needs to be loosened from time to time. Only this should be done shallowly, because the roots of foxglove are horizontal. Watering should not be carried away. It is produced only as needed. Of course, you need to break through the bed of weeds. If the plant is already in the flowering stage, you need to remove wilted corollas in the brush, and cut off the faded inflorescences completely. Then the flowering period will be much longer. During the season, the plant can be fed several times with mineral fertilizers, but it is not worth overfeeding much. Otherwise, you will get beautiful lush rosettes, not flowers. Winter foxglove, as a rule, tolerate well. The exposed roots of perennial foxglove are sprinkled with nutrient soil. In snowless winters, if the air temperature is very low, it is advisable to cover the plants with something. nineOl000 , for example, primroses, geraniums, ornamental bows. Some designers advise creating a background for other flowers from foxglove, for which they are planted in the far row of the flower garden. It is also recommended to combine foxglove with other tall plants, such as viburnum, honeysuckle, roses, valerian, peonies. But even without them, foxglove in the garden looks amazing. Especially if you choose a variety according to the color scheme of the inflorescences. Only in this case, it must be taken into account that insects, flying from flower to flower, will cross-pollinate, which will violate the purity of the variety, which means that it will be impossible to obtain a new generation of the same flowers. If conditions permit, foxglove can be planted against the walls of buildings. Against their background, varieties with contrasting inflorescences in relation to the walls will look fantastic. Foxglove looks good in natural style gardens. As a border plant, digitalis is practically not used, even dwarf ones. Low digitalis is grown in pots and other containers.

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