I have several wonderful fox gloves which are just finishing flowering and I want to know how to collect the seeds and sow them for next year rather than let them self seed. Can anyone help please
reply to Scullybooks the seed pods turn brown when ripe.when the flowers die they leave a fat green pod that will dry and go brown,I cut the stem off and tip it upside down into a paper bag.You can hear the seeds fall into the bag,there's millions.You could put the bag over the stem first and secure it round the stem before cutting so it is less likely that seeds fall where they are not wanted.
Last year I sowed some white foxglove seeds. In the autumn I planted out 7 healthy plants. They came through the hard winter and have grown on to be big, healthy plants – but without any sign of a flower! The wild, pink ones and the other pale pink ones I grew have all flowered well, so please, where have I gone wrong?
Dear Dreamer, thank you so much. Yes the spikes have the green pods at the moment so I will watch and wait and collect them as you say. I love the fox gloves as the slugs and snails don't eat them unlike the many lupins/hollyhocks/delphinims I have planted!
I've planted some store bought pot grown foxgloves this spring which are flowering or just about to. I read that as a result of the small sized seeds they require very little cover. My border is mulched with bark over a weed control mesh (cut through for the existing plants) - can I just leave the existing plants and anticipate them to self-sow or do I need to collect and propagate in trays or pots?
devon dumpling they may be this years new plants so will flower next year.
bigdaddy you can leave them to self-sow and just remove and transplant any that are in the wrong place.when replanting do it when plants are still small but big enough to handle easily and warter well untill establised.this is how i do it as i dont have the space for any more trays and pots.i dont think you will have a problem with the bark or mesh but you could collect a few seeds for a tray as a safe gaurd.
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the seed pods turn brown when ripe.when the flowers die they leave a fat green pod that will dry and go brown,I cut the stem off and tip it upside down into a paper bag.You can hear the seeds fall into the bag,there's millions.You could put the bag over the stem first and secure it round the stem before cutting so it is less likely that seeds fall where they are not wanted.
they may be this years new plants so will flower next year.
bigdaddy
you can leave them to self-sow and just remove and transplant any that are in the wrong place.when replanting do it when plants are still small but big enough to handle easily and warter well untill establised.this is how i do it as i dont have the space for any more trays and pots.i dont think you will have a problem with the bark or mesh but you could collect a few seeds for a tray as a safe gaurd.