Help with Foxglove.

Discussion in 'Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs' started by Zandoli, Aug 9, 2008.

  1. Zandoli

    Zandoli Active Member

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    Location:
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    Hi,
    I have 1 common and 1 Strawberry foxglove plant in my garden (previously owned home) They had a really long struggle in the spring, but look quite healthy now.
    They get about 5 hours of early sun. Is this too much for them?
    They have not bloomed this year, but will they next year? I don't know their age, so I'm wondering if they are past their prime, if I should pull them out, move them to a shadier location or leave them where thet are and see what happens next year.
    Appreciate any feedback.
    Thanks.
    Z.
    P.S. Also have Bergenia that did not flower this year. should I hope for next?
    It too is healthy looking.
     

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  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Could bloom next year. To get good results, give good care. First thing I notice is soil looks hard and not well mulched.
     
  3. Zandoli

    Zandoli Active Member

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    Thank you Ron,
    Actually the soil is not bad now.
    I mixed a lot of compost into the clay soil, but not much mulch on top.
    I'll hope for next year.
    Z
     
  4. levilyla

    levilyla Active Member

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    In my oinion bergenias are just plain hard to get to flower. I have never seen one bloom on mine!
     
  5. kaspian

    kaspian Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Maine coast, USA, zone 5
    As to the sun ... foxgloves should do quite well with a few hours of Ontario sunlight. I'm guessing your growing conditions aren't too much different from those here in Maine, where I've got foxgloves that get hot midday sun and are looking fine.

    One thing that can prevent foxgloves from flowering is generously fertilizing them. This encourages them to produce nice big leaves, and should result in a splendid showing next year.

    The best display of foxgloves I've seen in this area was a planting grown from seed of the 'Foxy' strain, sold by Thompson & Morgan. This is touted as "the annual foxglove" because in England, apparently, it will flower in the first year from an early sowing. Not so in this part of North America. However its short germination-to-flowering cycle does seem to guarantee a vigorous showing NEXT summer -- unlike the ordinary D. purpurea strain which, for me, often takes an extra year to flower. (So the seeds germinate in late summer of year 1, the plant spends year 2 reaching its mature size, and flowers finally show up in year 3. 'Foxy' shortens this by one year.)

    I don't know much about the strawberry kind (x mertonensis?). Lutea, the yellow type, naturalizes well here and seems to prefer lots of sun.
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    It's better to just mulch where you are only going to get one of the two (amending and mulching) done. That is how nature does it: organic debris falls on the surface of the soil and is processed there by the soil system.
     
  7. WesternWilson

    WesternWilson Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    I live in foxglove central here on the mild and wet Pacific Coast. I have never known a shy foxglove here, and they should be plenty tough for your area.

    However, if they had a difficult spring, maybe they did not have enough left over to flower on, particularly if your soil is tired and compacted. The plants look healthy, if small. Gently dig in some good compost all around them, and topdress with a nice thick layer as well. You should get tons of bloom next spring...and lots of volounteers the next!
     
  8. MickiS

    MickiS Active Member

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    Hi Zandoli
    I have successfully grown foxgloves for years here in the Pacific Northwest. They are such an undemanding plant. My soil is sandy and we do get a lot of rain and our winters are cold with occassional thaws. I do not fertilize much if any, and find that they self seed in any crack or cranny available. They bloom the following year. I let them self seed and then move the seedling where I want them. They are difficult to move if the plant gets too big because they have a long tap root. I have also had success starting them from the seeds that I harvested ....by planting indoors in the spring. Foxgloves are so beautiful! They are poisonous of course.
    good luck!
    Micki
     
  9. Zandoli

    Zandoli Active Member

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    Thank you Nicki,
    I'm drawing up my plan for the "moving and shaking" that I have to do next spring.
    I'll watch for new plants.
    Thanks again.
    Z.
     
  10. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Hope it's ok that I re-opened this thread, but I need some help...



    I just bought a Foxglove and the tag says it's a perennial - I thought they were biennial? Will there be more than one plant each year? Do the seeds spread?

    I am also wondering, will animals steer clear of these plants, or should I take precautions?

    Here is my new plant - I am gong to transplant it outdoors tomorrow...

    : )
     

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  11. kaspian

    kaspian Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Maine coast, USA, zone 5
    There can never be too much discussion of foxgloves, in my opinion.

    I think your yellow-flowered plant may be Digitalis lutea, or perhaps a hybrid involving that species as a parent -- not the more common D. purpurea, which usually behaves as a biennial. Or actually a monocarp -- a plant that flowers once, produces seed, and then dies. (In climates like ours, this may take more than two years.)

    D. lutea is classified as a "short-lived perennial," or to put it another way, "a plant that, if only I'd saved some seeds, would still be growing in my yard."

    In seriousness, it should do well in Ontario, and like most foxgloves will self-sow where it is happy. Not far from here, there was a hillside covered with them, before the new owners decided to start mowing the whole place.

    I've never seen or heard of animals eating foxgloves. I shouldn't worry.

    I'd still save a few seeds, though. Among other things, you might like to try it in different parts of the garden, because foxgloves in our part of the world can be somewhat finicky about where they like to grow.
     
  12. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Just transplanted my Foxglove into one of the gardens this evening. I knew we were getting lots of rain this weekend, so I thought it would be the perfect time to transplant it outdoors.

    I am wondering still about if it will return next season. The tag said perennial, but I am really not convinced...

    : )
     

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  13. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Thanks Kaspian! I think we were posting at the same time!

    : O

    Ok, yeah, that's what I thought - that foxgloves were like a biennial. So it self seeds in the garden?!!! That's terrific. I guess it just confused me when it said perennial on the tag.

    I think you're right about the digitalis lutea - they had others that were called digitalis purpurea 'purple camelot' and they were also labelled as perennials.

    It is good to know that this beauty might come back next year. They had pinks and purples and those are usually the colors I totally go for. However, all of them had, at most, 2 flower stalks on them, but this yellow beauty had over 10!!! I just couldn't believe how many blooms were on it - and more coming!

    Normally, I grow everything from seed, but who could resist something so healthy and thriving? Not me. It was only 7 bucks! I am really enjoying it - I can see it from my living room window.

    Thanks again Kaspian, for all the great information. I am glad it's ok to open the thread, because that's the way I feel too. A thread should contain as much information as is possible. I am new to growing foxgloves but want to learn more...





    I transplanted it into some rich compost with a hint of blood & bonemeal in the planting hole. I watered it well with purified water. I am sure it will take just fine - let's hope.

    Yes, I will collect some seeds from my plant for sure. If anyone will collect seeds, it's the hollyberry lady! I just wanted to make sure I would see it again every year, and it sounds like I will!

    : )
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 27, 2009
  14. Zandoli

    Zandoli Active Member

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    Thanks again for opening this up again.
    Zandoli.
     
  15. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    You're welcome!

    : )

    I am so glad you guys don't mind. People have given me heck for re-opening threads and I just don't understand it. The more information there is, the better.

    I intend on showing more pics of my Foxglove plant and trying to learn the best way to care for it.

    I am so impressed with the blooms and hope they keep coming. I am trying to stop myself from going back and getting another color, to compliment the yellow! Oh no...

    : O
     
  16. Zandoli

    Zandoli Active Member

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    After a very snowy winter and very wet spring, only one solitary plant showed up and it had pink flowers.
    Now that I know, I'll save some seeds and try germinating them indoors to increase my "crop" next year.
    I've added more compost this year, so soil should be in even better shape next year.
    Thanks agian for re-opening.
    Zandoli.
     
  17. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Because we are warmer here they usually bloom the same year. I just let them seed for next year and spread plants out They like our sun (warm to hot) but thrive in well mulched soil. The wild ones in Scotland seem to be everywhere in their summer. Theywere growing in gravelly soil where I really noticed them. I usually cut the flower stalk when done and get another year or so out of them. They are just there like my columbines.

    Liz
     
  18. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Bergenia grow very well here and they seem to be fine in dry hot locations on the edge of footpaths down in the city comes to mind. I have mine on a bank in a fair bit of shade and they don't flower nearly as well but do look healthy and strong.
     
  19. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Ohhhh I am getting excited about the foxglove, from all that I am reading. Didn't get another color because I think I just want this yellow one to be special and stand out - for now.

    I planted it between my two Osteospermum African Daisies varieties - one is purple and the other is white with purple centers. The Daisies are annuals so they won't be back with the yellow foxglove next season, but I am grateful because it's not what I would have chosen to go with it.

    I didn't even know I was getting a foxglove this year. A total spontaneous decision. One that I don't regret, however. Do these plants bloom through Fall too? Or just summer?

    Do I need to worry about people's dog's being poisoned?!!!

    : O

    I know Foxglove is poisonous and should be avoided by children and pets. How is this dealt with? I am a bit worried that I am being irresponsible? There are dogs here - 2 other tenants. No kids though.

    Lastly, what will happen with 2 different colored foxglove plants when they're pollinated? Would a new color result?

    : )
     
  20. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    HBL I have been growing Foxgloves for 5 years now and the ones in the garden alwaysself seeed and then come back up all over the next year, sometimes I have to transplant them to other parts of the garden when they show up in places where you don't want them to be. When grown from commercial seed packets if you sow them into seed trays in March they will flower the same year in late August beginning of September. Having said that one of my seedlings I put into the Garden a month ago is just coming into flower. If you like Foxgloves you should try double flowered Hollyhocks they can be just as entertaining. Here is a not too fantastic pic off one of mine from this year.

    Nath

    S8003104.jpg
     
  21. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Very pretty, Nath.

    Yes, I have the seeds for the double hollyhocks, but I didn't sow them this season. Planning to next, though.

    I also have seeds for a rare apricot foxglove as well, but I will sow them next year too. I can tell that these foxgloves are going to be a favorite.

    : )
     
  22. kaspian

    kaspian Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    You know, what I love about pictures like this is not the plant itself, but the glimpse it offers into another gardener's personal bit of Paradise, in a land far from my own.

    Nice-looking foxglove, too!

    Hollyberry Lady -- and may I call you something else, since we're practically neighbors? -- you asked whether these plants bloom through fall.

    Sadly, they do not. In fact they do not bloom through summer. They have one glorious period of bloom, which starts whenever it starts (in Maine this year, it was late June) and lasts for maybe one month, as the flower buds open along the stem from bottom to top. There is a golden moment -- actually about a week or two -- when most of the blooms are open all at once, which is truly magical. You halfway expect to see fairies dancing about in the moonlight. (Please post photos if you witness this.)

    After that, you may get some late blooms at the top of the flower stalk. That is happening now with a white-flowered foxglove in a damp and nearly sunless spot on the north side of my house.

    To my way of thinking, foxgloves are among the most wonderful and romantic of plants. I know that in some parts of North America they have become a serious pest. Barring some really severe climate change, Hollyberry Lady and I do not have to worry about that. Our challenge is keeping them alive from year to year.
     
  23. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Wow - thanks for the great information, Kaspian. Call me HbL for short - or sometimes Sherry, too.

    Foxgloves are too beautiful, even if they don't bloom the entire summer. They really are stunning. I have seeds for a rare apricot variety, and I am going to sow them next season...

    : )
     
  24. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    Kaspian, Thats why I grow more each year from seed to give me more blooms in the fall. Perhaps the blooms last longer in the UK at least a month but you are right about that glorious time when the whole stem is in bloom and they look gloriuos!!

    HBL the Double Headed Hollyhocks I sowed this year are black so I can't wait till they show.

    With my foxgloves as they come to the end of flowering and dry out I scatter the seed from the stems all over the patches of flower bed where I want them to grow next year, its then great to wait and see how many come up.

    Nath
     
  25. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Don't know if I have the double variety, but I do have seeds for a black hollyhock type, called 'midnight' - or something. Some people from this forum who received seeds from me germinated some this season, so they should get blooms next year.

    I will definitely scatter some seeds too, and make sure that this thing keeps returning year to year. Where exactly are the seeds found? I would find them anyway, but it would make it easier to know for sure...



    : )
     

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