Among the decorative flowers with long spike-shaped inflorescences, collected from dozens of buds, the foxglove occupies a separate place. She is large, bright and very effective, but at the same time quite sophisticated and graceful. Let's tell you more!
general information
The foxglove has a lot of strange but impressive folk nicknames - from fox mittens to dead man's bells. It is not strange that after that a lot of legends and stories are associated with it. But basically everything rests on the shape of the buds, which really look like thimbles for fingers.
The second name for digitalis is digitalis. This is a bright herbaceous perennial that can grow into a full-fledged bush up to 1.5 m. But there are also compact decorative varieties 30-40 cm in height.
Foxglove stems are tough, hardly branching or branching at all. Lanceolate leaves gradually become smaller and closer to the apex they completely turn into bracts.
Foxglove begins to bloom in early summer, gradually revealing new and new buds. Flowering lasts until autumn. Inflorescences are one-sided and symmetrical, but the flowers are almost always large and irregular in shape.
Types of foxglove
There are not so many types of digitalis. Even fewer of them really differ significantly from each other and may be interesting for gardeners!
Rusty foxglove
A very decorative tall form stretches up to 1.2 m. The bell flowers are cast in a fancy wavy edge with a pronounced lapel. Color - yellow with pink, brown and golden.
Large-flowered foxglove
The length of the shoots depends entirely on the variety and varies from 40 to 120 cm. The stems are covered with elongated, tall leaves, and the inflorescences are collected from large drooping bells. The length of one flowering brush reaches 25 cm.
Purple foxglove
This category unites biennial and perennial varieties with a height of about 1.5 m. They have graceful oval foxes and large one-sided pyramid-shaped inflorescences. In addition to purple varieties, there are white and speckled ones.
Ciliated digitalis
A very tiny species grows no more than 10 cm above ground level. Moreover, such a foxglove has beautiful jagged leaves, but not too noticeable faded flowers.
Woolly foxglove
It is easy to recognize by its characteristic pubescence and rather compact size. Small rounded buds with a curved edge fit tightly to each other in the brushes. The most common varieties are white, cream and pink.
Levkoy (50 photos): types, care and planting in the open field
Foxglove care
Foxglove also attracts by the fact that it is included in the list of the most unpretentious garden flowers. The biggest problem with it is to monitor the absence of stagnant water in the soil.
Temperature and lighting
A foxglove needs an open, well-lit, warm place. Keep in mind that she is very afraid of drafts, so it is even better to remove seedlings from the windowsill when airing. Some varieties can grow in light partial shade, but not under deciduous trees.
Watering
In the average summer, the foxglove does not require additional watering, because it has enough rare rains. But do not forget to loosen the soil after precipitation.
The soil
Foxglove has almost no soil requirements. It is enough if it is loose so that moisture passes through well, because the root system is sensitive to fungi and decay. If the soil is too poor, dig it up with humus and compost beforehand.
Fertilizers and feeding
For feeding, we advise you to use ready-made mineral complexes designed specifically for perennial flowers. It is enough to introduce them in low concentration when watering twice a season.
Wintering
In the fall, trim off the entire ground part of the perennial foxglove and check to see if the surface roots are bare.Sprinkle them with soil as needed. If in your region there are often frosty, snowless winters, additionally cover the foxglove with spruce branches. Young plants need to be covered regardless of the region.
Daisies (50 photos): types, planting and care in the open field
Planting and breeding
Digitalis is best propagated by seed through seedlings. In this case, the planting material must first be soaked in water for about a week, changing it three times a day. After that, spread the seeds over wet soil, lightly sprinkle and leave warm under a film and diffused light.
After 2 weeks, the first shoots will appear. They grow very slowly at first, but this is normal for digitalis. After the appearance of the first 2-3 leaves, the plants can be dived, and 2 weeks before transplanting into the garden, they can be tempered outside.
Foxglove is rarely planted in rows or in strict order. It can be placed randomly, but it is important to leave a distance of about 15-30 cm, depending on the size of the variety. Consider that in the first year the foxglove only takes root and grows, but does not bloom.
Digitalis pests and diseases
The foxglove has excellent immunity, so that it almost does not suffer from dangerous diseases and pests. Due to improper care, fungus can appear, which can be easily identified by stains or bloom. In the early stages, use fungicides, but it is better to destroy a heavily damaged plant altogether.
The main pest of the foxglove is the garden aphid. It hides on the back of the leaf plates and on the stem, and gradually leads to the death of the planting. But preventive treatment with special preparations helps well from it.
Castor oil plant (50 photos): types, care and planting in the open field
Digitalis - photo
The most striking and original feature of the foxglove is precisely its bizarre bells, collected in lush inflorescences. Just look how beautiful it is!
