Foxgloves

Lifes_Grand_Plan

Hi guys,

Last year at the end of the season I had a few packs of seeds that I threw onto the borders to see what happened.... anyway this year I have masses of lovely foxgloves that the bees are absolutely loving so i'm pleased I did.

Anyway some of the foxgloves are now nearly 7 feet tall and the flowers are lovely but are they meant to get that tall? What do I need to do to them to care for them?

Cheers

adouglasmhor

A little compost and maybe mulch, they self seed and live only a couple of years.

mel48rose

I've got a few that keep self seeding around the garden. Its a lovely surprise to see what colour they are when they finally open. Some of mine are really tall too.

System

I wish mine grew. I bought a packet of seeds, sowed them ... ermmm, can't remember when... but when the packet told me to! And I don't have any yet although, there are lots of weed-looking plants popping up which are tall but they don't have flower buds of any sort. I'm kind of hoping that they're the foxgloves, so haven't pulled them out just in case. I would have thought they'd be up by now though

System

Just read that apparently they don't flower until their second year. That would explain why I have no flowers...

jenfa

I have found with all the rain we had this winter a number of my plants have come up taller this year, foxgloves, roses, hydrangea etc

I like foxgloves too but in some parts of the garden I am careful to cut them down before they seed, also Don't put them in your compost if they have seeds ready in them - found that out when my veg plot started growing foxgloves after I put the compost down:rotfl:

Yes they flower every other year, so you have low plants that are getting their energy for next year, this is when I either dig up and move or pull out if I have too many, but I do wish they would be consistent on their height!

Farway

jenfa wrote: »

I have found with all the rain we had this winter a number of my plants have come up taller this year, foxgloves, roses, hydrangea etc

I like foxgloves too but in some parts of the garden I am careful to cut them down before they seed, also Don't put them in your compost if they have seeds ready in them - found that out when my veg plot started growing foxgloves after I put the compost down:rotfl:

Yes they flower every other year, so you have low plants that are getting their energy for next year, this is when I either dig up and move or pull out if I have too many, but I do wish they would be consistent on their height!

Not quite true, foxgloves are biennial, grow in year one, flower in year two, seed, and die. They do not flower every other other year, they die in year two after flowering & setting seed

lostinrates

You can get some perennial fox gloves.

jenfa

So Farway are you saying if I cut down the foxgloves and don't let them seed they will die off after they have flowered and I won't have anymore? Thanks

adouglasmhor

lostinrates wrote: »

You can get some perennial fox gloves.

True but they are short lived perennials .

Farway

jenfa wrote: »

So Farway are you saying if I cut down the foxgloves and don't let them seed they will die off after they have flowered and I won't have anymore? Thanks

Yes

Just let them seed, save the seed & sprinkle them around, you will get thousands of seedlings, but slugs will eat many, but even so you will have foxgloves for evermore

I sowed foxgloves over 30 years ago in my garden, and they have always popped up somewhere ever since