Foxgloves are just coming into bloom in our garden. They are woodland plants really. Their large leaves make the most of all the available sunlight so they can grow in shady areas so they are brilliant if you have dappled shade in your garden.
I grew these Foxgloves from seed. If you have ever seen foxglove seed you’ll know it’s tiny. You may feel that it’s difficult to work with but nothing could be further from the truth. Like many tiny seeds they need light to germinate. Just sow a pinch of seed on the surface of some fine compost in a small pot and leave them on your windowsill to germinate. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle they can be pricked out into modules to grow on and moved outside. I grow mine in trays of 1L or 2L pots until I’m ready to plant them out.
Foxgloves have many colours to choose from and they vary in height too. They make lovely cut flowers. If you’re planning a big celebration and want dramatic spires of flowers then some of the taller varieties would probably be best. I can recommend Digitalis ‘Camelot’ which has lovely crimson splotches and of course Digitalis purpurea is the lovely deep pink wild form if you have a more natural garden. They will grow up to 1.2m/4 feet tall which makes a lovely display both in the garden and in a floral display.
Shorter varieties are great too. I like Digitalis ‘Foxy’ which has flowers in all pastel shades and reaches just 75cm/30inches in height. That’s just about right for a smaller vase of cut flowers for the house I think. The great thing about Foxgloves is that once you have cut the main flower stalk they carry on producing slightly shorter flower spikes.
Of course you don’t have to cut them. They are a great early source of food for your garden wildlife. You could just leave them right where they are in the garden for the bees and other pollinating insects to enjoy!
What’s looking good in your garden today? I’d love to know. You are most welcome to leave a comment with a link to your post.
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Happy Gardening! Gillian 😉
Your foxgloves are so lovely. Thanks for the information on growing them from seed.
You are welcome… they are so easy it’s worth giving them a try, especially if you want a lot of them because mature plants can be expensive at garden centres.
Foxgloves are my favorites. Your weather is behind NC by about 3 weeks. I plant some from seed also. Always enjoy your posts. Thanks Gillian.
Thank you very much! I am glad you like visiting my blog.
What a beautiful array of colours, I love foxgloves. Yours are growing is the perfect conditions with that stunning dabbled light.
Thanks Christina. Foxgloves will grow in full sun too but with their huge leaves they look out of place somehow.
Your foxgloves are beautiful! My favorite is the bottom row pink! This is one flower that I do recognize when I see it and one I would love to grow! However too hot here even in my Woodland Garden! Will be dong this years English Garden tour in 4 weeks! Can’t wait! I’m going to have to sprout wings to get in all I have planned!
Thanks Cady. I’m looking forward to reading about your tour already. You always provide wonderful pictures and interesting commentary about the places you visit. Hope you have a fantastic trip.
I might buy some seeds, not too late 😉
You can sow Foxgloves anytime you like really. On the seed packet suppliers suggest the best time but they will grow all year round. Foxgloves I sowed in January/February last year flowered in spring then again in autumn and some of them are bigger and even better this year. It depends on the variety you choose and if they are biennial (sow in summer, plant out in autumn and flower in spring) or perennial. I recommend having a go!
These are so beautiful, Gillian! My foxgloves are purpurea and alba and sometimes I get crosses that are quite interesting! I also have rubra, but it isn’t as prolific as the purpurea.
Thanks Eliza. It’s quite exciting when new flowers appear isn’t it?
Yes, it is!
How lovely, Gillian. The mix in your woodland edge planting are stunning, they look as if nature placed them there.
This lot were quite deliberately planted last year but they will sow themselves around and create the natural look I love… I’m sure of that!