Author Topic: Foxglove - stupid question. (Read 5749 times)

sarahr · « **on:** June 06, 2004, 00:00:21 »

Is there anything I can do to stop it seeding itself all over the place? Other than diging up all the plants. I've only got a small terraced house garden and it just keeps popping up all over the place. I've got about six plants and four times that in seedlings. There was a yellow plant last year that was similar in size that I got rid of. I don't remember seeing this one (pinky colour) then. Do the seeds lie dormant in the ground? Is this a hybrid of the previous plant? ???

carrot-cruncher · « **Reply #1 on:** June 06, 2004, 08:33:20 »

oh....lucky you. I absolutely adore foxgloves. If you live anywhere near Leicester I'll happily take them off you.

I too am in a terraced house with a small garden. To stop mine taking over the garden in future years when they've finished flowering this year they're being transplanted into a couple of old plastic drums. Not only will this contain any seeds they drop but once the drums are decorated up they'll become a point of interest in the garden. The drums will also allow their deep tap root to develop.

Palustris · « **Reply #2 on:** June 06, 2004, 09:23:17 »

The tall big flowered ones are usually biennial, so once they have flowered they will more often than not die off. I am hedging my bets a little because many of them are now crossed with perennial species from Europe. When you have enjoyed the flower stalk, cut it right back to the crown of leaves at ground level, then no seeds, so no seedlings. It may take a while to remove all seed from your soil as it is very persistant like field poppies.

sarahr · « **Reply #3 on:** June 06, 2004, 12:04:12 »

Ah, that would explain why I never saw them before. I bought the house four years ago and the ground was covered with bindweed and rubbish for two years.

Yes I live in Leicester, near Vicki Park.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #4 on:** June 06, 2004, 23:10:04 »

I love foxgloves also and plant them willy nilly all around my garden. :o It is funny what one person loves another considers a weed. Like Holly hocks, I would love to get them to grow but they always get so rusty and diseased I don't bother, yet I talk to folks who hate them and can't stop them springing up all over their gardens!

Muddy_Boots · « **Reply #5 on:** June 07, 2004, 15:18:50 »

I have to agree with EJ here, I love foxgloves and hollyhocks, tho agree about the rust with the latter. Even if you don't like them too much, foxgloves are great for encouraging bees and hoverflies. They seem to love them and, as little things please little minds, I love watching the bees crawl up into the flowers to get the pollen, they are so determined! :D

Palustris · « **Reply #6 on:** June 08, 2004, 20:20:05 »

Three of many!

Jesse · « **Reply #7 on:** June 08, 2004, 20:29:36 »

So Pretty!!! You are so lucky to have them. I love foxgloves but sadly I seem to kill them off. But I have noticed one has sprouted up in my garden so I am hopeful that it will survive this time, I'm going to keep well away from it!

Palustris · « **Reply #8 on:** June 08, 2004, 20:37:34 »

Sorry Bucket has lost the photos some how. Very strange Now they are back, very odd.

Toots · « **Reply #9 on:** June 09, 2004, 06:58:46 »

Hi Folks,our garden is full of foxglove,field poppies,honesty and cranesbill to mention only a few which self seed merrily.We also have pink purslane,bluebells,flag iris,celandine and daffs.

I love it cos it's also full of birds and wildlife,but it can get out of hand and the cultivated plants at times have a struggle.At present we have so little time to work there,but hopefully in a few years when we retire we can spend more time.

My garden would make a tidy gardener flinch,but is so full of life... that is how I like it.Am I alone in this?

;)Toots

Jesse · « **Reply #10 on:** June 09, 2004, 10:32:08 »

Toots you're not alone. My garden is half tidy, half "natural". One of our boundaries is made up of a hedgerow which consists of Cobnut, Crabapple, Hawthorne, Blackthorne, Honesuckle, Wild climbing roses and probably others but not sure what they are. Under the hedgerow we have lots of ivy, bluebells and now my one lonely foxglove. The bird life is abundant because of all the trees and we get hedgehogs, foxes and even a deer the other day coming into the garden although he did eat the leaves off the lower branches on my pear tree! I have so many slugs but can't bring myself to using poisons on them for fear that I may hurt the hedgehogs.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #11 on:** June 09, 2004, 13:26:57 »

Have digitalis lutea this year for a change, yellow ones in other words. Gorgeous but not as big as the pinky ones. I shall take photos when they open. ;D

Tenuse · « **Reply #12 on:** June 09, 2004, 13:29:46 »

Jesseveve that sounds beautiful!

Ten x

Toots · « **Reply #13 on:** June 09, 2004, 16:45:15 »

Hi Jesseveve,
thank you for your reply.Your garden sounds great,just the sort I like! We too have lots of visitors, including cows and sheep from the adjoining fields!

We have foxes etc but recently local badgers have taken to digging up holes in the hedges,so not yet seen one here but hopeful!The garden was new ,bulldozed earth,23 years ago, just 2 sycamores when we came and now we have lots of trees shrubs and plants local and cultivated.
We planted 2 beech hedges which are thriving and a mixed hedge.We started with blackthorn,rosa rugosa,but now also have hawthorn,willow and apple(from the boys old apple cores we think!)Some elder nearby too.Toots

Jesse · « **Reply #14 on:** June 09, 2004, 16:59:03 »

Oooh badges, I love them but have never seen one in real life in the wild. Isn't it a shame how developers annihilate everything in sight, I guess it makes building easier but to the detriment of the wildlife. We were fortunate that the hedgerow has a presevation order on it otherwise I'm sure that would have got flattened without a second thought.

Getting back to the subject of foxgloves, are they fussy about their growing conditions, soil type etc? I have heavy clay and wonder if that's why they don't grow like weeds for me, or is it just me killing them off with kindness!

Toots · « **Reply #15 on:** June 09, 2004, 17:11:26 »

Hi Jesseve,
The heavy clay could be the problem,they grow thick all over from self seeding in our soil which is light and sandy,as do many other plants and trees which self propagate.

You could try in beds with sand or introduce boxes or planters with a sandy loam.

Our soil is a curse from the point of view of veg etc as it is so thin and sparse,but light and easy for seedlings.It was great when the boys were wee as we had a belt of pure clean sand,a ready made sandpit!Toots

feet of clay · « **Reply #16 on:** June 20, 2004, 15:00:29 »

I'm on clay and my foxgloves are increasing merrily. I try to add a new colour every year or so - this year it's orange and next year I'm going for yellow and a pure white. I know they'll probably all end up pink eventually....

Palustris · « **Reply #17 on:** June 20, 2004, 17:41:08 »

I had always thought that our native foxglove was a light shade edge of wood type of plant, so they like dappled shade and leafy soil. But on the way home today there was a hill side just outside Rhayader absolutely covered in them and not a tree in sight. Mind they were only small, rather than the 8 footers here. By the way my soil is a peaty silt.

Marian · « **Reply #18 on:** June 20, 2004, 19:11:54 »

hI
I thought foxgloves were annuals and died within the same year as flowering ?! Maybe I am wrong.

Toots · « **Reply #19 on:** June 20, 2004, 21:44:39 »

No,Marian,you are right,but they self seed prolifically,usually and come up year after year in greater numbers. Toots ;)

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Author Topic: Foxglove - stupid question. (Read 5749 times)