Hi, sorry newbie gardener and not sure if this is a hosta or whether it is a weed as it seems to be overtaking the garden and I have quite a few of them spread around now. Any help qppreciated.
Thanks Excitable Boy that explains why I thought they were weeds as they are EVERYWHERE! Stupid question but how do I cut down? Just cut down the flower stem or something more drastic?
I wouldn't pull them all out or you won't get any more in two years' time - choose the ones whose flowers you like best and leave them to set seed. When the seed is ripe cut the stem and shake the seeds in the area of garden you'd like them to grow. As they're perennials, the following year you'll get baby foxglove plants growing - to get good flowers then them out to about 18" apart, replanting the ones you take out in other parts of the garden and watering them well. The following year you'll get lots more foxglove flowers.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes, they look very tired by the time they have finished flowering. Generally I find the whole plant will pull out fairly easily, but then I am in the moist moist south west, lol.
I am sure you are already aware, but remember that all parts of the foxglove are poisonous if eaten. Smaller children love to pull the flowers and put them on their fingers as they look made for this. Discourage this as the poison (digitalis) is concentrated in the nectar and pollen.
I think it's very likely that you already have young foxglove plants in the ground which will flower next year, but as Dovefromabove says, broadcasting seed will ensure an ongoing free supply, but the offspring may not come true to the parent plant due to cross pollination. Like Excitable Boy, I relocate some of mine- I'm in the south west too! Incidentally, you can predict with a great deal of certainty what colour the flowers will be by looking at the base of the leaves. If they have a pink flush (as seen in the main plant in your picture) the flowers will be the usual foxglove pink/purple. If white, the flowers will be as well. I have a variety that come up year after year, all self sown, in a variety of pinks, whites and apricot, as a result of cultivated varieties that I grew yolks ago.
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Foxglove-will be in flower soon.
Was there a prize?
Wow, ok thanks. I won't dig them all up then! The prize is the knowledge that you've kept the foxgloves alive! Thanks again.
Claire, just so as you know, these things self-seed like crazy, so once they've flowered cut most of them down!
If it had been a hosta you would not have had time to take a photo because something would have eaten it whilst you were fetching your camera.
Thanks Excitable Boy that explains why I thought they were weeds as they are EVERYWHERE! Stupid question but how do I cut down? Just cut down the flower stem or something more drastic?
I wouldn't pull them all out or you won't get any more in two years' time
- choose the ones whose flowers you like best and leave them to set seed. When the seed is ripe cut the stem and shake the seeds in the area of garden you'd like them to grow. As they're perennials, the following year you'll get baby foxglove plants growing - to get good flowers then them out to about 18" apart, replanting the ones you take out in other parts of the garden and watering them well. The following year you'll get lots more foxglove flowers.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes, they look very tired by the time they have finished flowering. Generally I find the whole plant will pull out fairly easily, but then I am in the moist moist south west, lol.
I am sure you are already aware, but remember that all parts of the foxglove are poisonous if eaten. Smaller children love to pull the flowers and put them on their fingers as they look made for this. Discourage this as the poison (digitalis) is concentrated in the nectar and pollen.
Thanks so much for all your help. This is such a great forum.