Re: Germinating seed - Digitalis

Val,

Bit behind here....but, basically, if you want spring bloom from any
biennial, you need to sow the seed the in the summer for bloom the next
spring...or sow when the plants naturally set seed.  Being biennial means
the plant puts out growth the first year and flowers and sets seed and dies
the next year.    I find Digitalis purpurea to be either biennial or a
short lived perennial - I often have plants survive two blooming seasons;
can generally tell if they will or not after they set seed and I cut them
back.  If they put out a new basal rosette of leaves, they will bloom again
the next year - if not, they're compost.

I generally just scatter seed where I want my plants to grow when I cut
down the stems that have set seed,  unless I'm trying a species other than
D. purpurea (which I have seeding all over) and want more controlled
conditions.  Think the key to getting them to self seed in your garden is
giving them a good, organic soil that stays moist - or that can be kept
from drying out - in light to dappled shade.  I find the root systems to be
very stringy and shallow and although I have read the species does well in
dry conditions, I have not found this to be the case.  My best plants are
always the ones that put themselves in good soil that stays moist.  They
will try to grow just about anywhere, but those in poor, dry soil are
stunted and pretty miserable looking.  I find they seed in well mulched
spots as well as my gravel driveway.  Generally, seed will sprout in the
late summer or early fall from a late May to early June scattering.  I
seldom thin them out unless I want to move some to another place - I just
let them battle it out; the strong survive.  Sometimes I will pinch up
clumps out of a particularly thick stand to leave a bit of space between
clumps of seedlings to give some of them some breathing room for their
battle for survival.  Seedlings will germinate and survive best where they
are not in competition with mature plants of another species....they don't
seem to mind having their parents skirts billowing over them....just my
observation.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
current article:  Late Color -  Part 3
http://suite101.com/welcome.cfm/222
----------
> From: lowery@teamzeon.com
> To: perennials@mallorn.com
> Subject: Re: Germinating seed
> Date: Wednesday, November 18, 1998 3:08 PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Valerie Lowery@ZEON
> 11/18/98 03:08 PM
> 
> Barbara,
> 
> 'Foxy' has bloomed the first year for me, albeit in the fall.  I was
hoping
> that someone would tell me that if I sow the seeds in January, I could
get
> a bloom in the spring.  Or, if I could order from a mail-order company in
> January, would I get flowers in the spring this year?  I had such a
> gorgeous display this year that I'd love for it to repeat again, but my
> foxgloves NEVER reseed.  Could be because of the thick layer of
mulch...the
> drought-like conditions in summer...the intense heat...etc, etc.
> 
> Val in KY
> zone 6a
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index