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Experiment with foxgloves

Kathy46Kathy46 Posts: 36
in Plants
This clump is two self seeded foxgloves where I removed a few of the flower spikes and can now see a mass of new flower spikes coming up on the cut spikes. They will be smaller than the main spike of course but should camouflage the straggly effect of almost spent foxgloves once the flowers have opened right to the top. What do you think? Have had foxgloves for years but never tried this before, even though it appears to be a well known thing to do.

Posts

  • coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
    Wait and see and keep us posted. I only have managed my first foxglove this year and I haven't got the courage to tamper with it  :s

    Luxembourg
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    It's something I have done in the past a couple of times. I found the subsequent spikes were about 2ft max.
    I imagine it's a response to you cutting off the finished flower spikes.
    The whole point of a plant's existence is to produce viable seed for the next generation.
    If you cut off the flower spike before the seed is viable, the plant will try and make more seed by producing more flowers.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's as @Pete.8 says. They're trying to produce seed to reproduce themselves. If you cut off a 'viable' stem it produces more in order to do that. Those wild ones in particular, are very prolific.  
    If you leave them, you'll just get the single spike, in most cases, whether it's the wild one or a cultivated variety.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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