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Foxglove purpurea

JenKentJenKent Posts: 53
in Plants
I bought 3 potted foxgloves (small plants) in early spring and planted them against a fence for some height behind various lower growing plants.  They are doing well and producing lots of leaves.  Question:  will they flower this year or is this year the leaf growing time?

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I doubt they will, they’re in flower now. It may produce a small spike, but I’m not sure it will. 
    Can you see a flower bud coming up from the centre? 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    I did the same, bought in pots (can't remember size but think it was 1 or 2L) and planted back in April, just started to bloom yesterday. Yours could be a few days away.


  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    As Lyn said, I think if you don't have any flower spikes forming yet you wont get anything until next year.

    They self seed fairly readily, so for yearly flowering you could either buy some that have flower spikes now and will set seed this year, or plant some more 1 year olds next year, that way you should get at least a couple popping up around the garden and flowering each year 
  • JenKentJenKent Posts: 53
    Thanks.  I can't see any sign of a spike - just plenty of leaves and the plants are about 6-8" tall with the leaves well spread. The pots I bought them in were quite small, so I it looks like I'll have to wait till next year to find out what colours I have bought - it didn't specify on the label.
  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    I missed the fact that yours didn't have flower spikes, mine had the spikes when I got them.
  • TheScottishGardenerTheScottishGardener Posts: 62
    If it's purpurea then they will be the classic pinky/purple mauve. Purpurea is latin for purple.
  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    TheScottishGardener said:
    If it's purpurea then they will be the classic pinky/purple mauve. Purpurea is latin for purple.
    There are Purpurea cultivars of different colour, such as Alba, Apricot, Primrose etc

    https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/digitalis-purpurea-alba/

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    They are bi annuals, grow leaves from seed one year flowers the next. The bigger pot ones are over a year old
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