Re: Foxglove
- To:
- Subject: Re: Foxglove
- From: M* T*
- Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 23:55:47 -0500
Donna,
They can be biennial or perennial. Digitalis purpurea, the common
foxglove, is basically a biennial, but has also proven to be a
short-lived perennial for me...some plants will come back and bloom a
second year. All of the biennials form a rosette of foliage the
first year from seed and bloom the second. They are easy from seed -
just scatter it where you want them to grow and they will come up
like mustard and cress, if the soil isn't allowed to dry out.
Depending on where in the world you garden, they can enjoy sun or
part shade. Where you are, I think some shade would be needed. I
have them (D. purpurea) seeding around all over the place, but mostly
where they do get some sun, if even only a couple of hours - or in
dappled shade. Some consider this to be rather weedy, but I love
them and if I don't want them somewhere they put themselves, I pull
them out - very easy to do.
They will grow in an amazing range of soils as long as they are
well-drained, but are at their best in good, highly organic soil that
does not dry out but drains well. Different species can have
slightly different requirements - there are some that are more
suited for the rock garden than the general border.
There are numerous species and cultivars of same; some are true
perennials. The most common and easiest to grow is D. purpurea and
cvs. I find these have a very fine and relatively stringy and
shallow root system, which is why they prefer soil that doesn't dry
out.
Paul Henjum posted a fantastic description and list about a year ago.
Here's the URL to it in the archives
http://vapor.mallorn.com/lists/perennials/nov98/msg00083.html
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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> From: James & Donna Davis <dsdavis@intop.net>
> Date: Friday, February 11, 2000 1:18 AM
>
> Help from anyone and everyone
>
> my luck and knowledge of growing foxgloves is, rated on a scale of
> 1-10, would probable be a "0", so with that in mind, I
would
> appreciate any information and all advice on things like
location,
> soil requirments, watering, fertilizing, anything you fell would
be
> helpful. are they a prennial, biannual, annual
>
> Donna in NE Mississippi zone 7
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