Re: Park Seeds Tip of the Month/Foxglove
Barbara Miles wrote:
> I've never grown foxgloves before, but decided to try some. I bought some
> digitalis p. "Pam's Choice" last month. I planted them and they seem healthy
> so far. But, they had no flower stalks, just foliage, and still show no
> signs of developing these. My daughter bought some elsewhere and hers had
> flower stalks and bloomed shortly thereafter.
> Both groups appeared to be the same age per size of container and foliage
> height. How will mine reseed if they do not bloom for me this year, or
> should I expect them to bloom later this season? Any ideas on how this will
> work?
Barb --
That's not necessarily a bad thing. If they don't bloom this year, they'll
bloom next year. Ignore that "biennial" stuff.
What you might want to do is mulch around the plants with compost or a good
humus mix and give them regular watering through the fall. The plants get
bigger and bigger. If they're in a spot where they won't get good snow cover,
mulch around the plants with shredded leaves or wood chips to retain the
moisture in the soil. Don't mulch OVER the plants, though -- foxgloves are
evergreen and don't appreciate being covered during the winter (at least mine
don't). Next year these "babied" plants will give you monstrous flower spikes
such as in the gardening books and magazines.
When those flower stalks start to fade, cut them down to just below the bottom
flower. If they're not forming already, you'll have smaller flower stalks (same
treatment as delphiniums and a number of other plants). Unless you really want
thousands of seeds (literally!), don't let the plant expend all its energy on
seed production. Keep cutting those faded flower stalks. Let ONE go to seed
later in the summer if you want "some" seeds.
Dean Sliger
Warren, Michigan, USA
Zone 6B
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