Guide to growing garden plants - Digitalis (Foxglove)
Members of the Digitalis ge
They range in height from 60cm to 180cm and have beautiful tubular pink, orange, yellow or cream freckled flowers that grow on a spire; it blooms from the end of spring to the end of summer.
The common name for Digitalis is foxglove and it makes an ideal border plant.
How to grow Foxglove (Digitalis)
The seeds of Digitalis can be planted out in the middle of spring or autumn. They should be sown on the surface about 50cm apart. They like to grow in the sun but it is probably best to grow them in an area that is partially shaded in the afternoon. Foxgloves like to grow in a soil that is both moist and rich, ideally with a pH of 6 to 7.5. If you prefer to start growing foxglove seedlings indoors first then they should be prepared about ten weeks before they are due to be transplanted into the garden in late autumn, a few weeks before the first frost of winter. Members of Digitalis usually take about two or three weeks to germinate at 15 to 18 degrees Centigrade.
Caring for Digitalis species such as foxglove in the garden
Once growing in the garden foxgloves require regular watering, and they prefer a moist soil, so water sufficiently. At the end of the flowering season the inflorescence should be cut back to the ground. It is best to replace the foxglove plants every two or three years to maintain their beautiful appearance in the garden.