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flowers for digitalis

Char74016Char74016 Posts: 78

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Digitalis elsie kelsey

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  • Char74016Char74016 Posts: 78

    Hello, could somebody please let me know when my Digitalis, elsie kelsey is likely to get some flowers? From pics I've seen, these grow on a tall stalk in the middle of the plant but, as you can see, mine just seems to be more and more leaves growing, some old ones are hugeee by now - nearly the size of a dinner plate! 

    Thanks

    Char

  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698

    Digitalis is biennial so if yours hasn't flowered this year, it should put out a flower spike next year.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    sometimes digitalis don't flower till the third year and then they're massive. That's a big plant now, it could do a late flowering this year if it's confused in time.

    Did you grow it from seed or buy the plant? and when?



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Probably next year, now, although some of mine have just produced late spikes. They're biennials (or at best, short lived perennials),  germinating and growing in the first year and flowering the next.

    H-C 

  • Char74016Char74016 Posts: 78

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    Here's a pic of the plant as I bought it around the start of June. It was in there with the other two plants just a couple of weeks before it got a little crowded!

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    but has just grown tons of leaves since!

    Will the flower stalks be noticeably different than new leaves growing then?

    Thanks again, 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,143

    My bet is it'll flower next spring ... and yes, you'll notice the flower spike - it'll begin to go upwards like this

    image

    only your plant will be bigger and probably have several spikes.

    Don't panic when it disappears over the winter - they die right down and reappear in the spring. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618

    You have a seedling for this year. It will probably flower next year. Give it more space, either a pot that size on its own, or a nice space in the garden. The leaves may spread around a 15 inch diameter circle, before flower. When it flowers , it erupts from the centre.

  • Char74016Char74016 Posts: 78

    Ahhh, very noticeably different than the overhanging leaves!

    I thought I'd maybe re-potted in something way too big and it was putting all it's energy into size rather than producing flowers! It is in a large round 20L pot about 30cm tall maybe?

    But thanks for the hint ;-) (as a very inexperienced gardener, I'm constantly worrying about killing plants when giving them a trim, taking away the dead flowers and so on)

    So this will survive Winter just left outside in it's tub - no need to greenhouse when snowing etc.?

    Plants are definitely tougher than I give them credit for!!

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    It's a native plant (the fancy cultivar doesn't change that) it can stand our weather. image



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Char74016Char74016 Posts: 78

    Ahh, I just re-read fidgetbones, yes all 3 of the plants were re-potted in those size pots but just one per pot.

    The other is chrysanthemum, amiko violet which also exploded in size but still no flowers for that plant yet either :-(

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