Growing Foxglove Varieties

Growing Foxglove Varieties
By [https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jo_Poultney/1203126]Jo Poultney

The common foxglove or Digitalis purpurea, is an herbaceous biennial native to most of Europe. A stately looking plant, the foxglove has been grown in gardens for centuries and is a particularly common sight in cottage style gardens. It has also been grown for cut flowers and used as an herb for medicinal purposes. Like many plant species, the foxglove has slipped in and out of fashion with garden designers, but seems to have become popular once again, featuring in many of this year's gardens at the Chelsea flower show. Here are a few of the most popular and also more unusual varieties.

Wild foxgloves are biennial, which means they take two years to develop from seed to flower. The first year of growth produces a rosette of long basal leaves and the flowers appear in the second year. Foxgloves thrive in partial sunlight to deep shade and are found naturally in open woods, moorland and hedge banks. The flowers are typically purple but some plants, especially hybrids, may be pink, rose, yellow, or white.

A very new and stunning variety is 'Illumination', winner of the Chelsea Flower Show plant of the year 2012. Unlike most foxgloves which are generally biennial, this hardy semi-evergreen is a true perennial with stunning tropical colouring of pinks and orange. It grows to a height of 90cm. The Chinese Foxglove or Rehmannia, is also a periennial hybrid and makes a makes a great choice for tricky dry, shady areas, thriving in difficult sites where many other plants fail. Also grows to a height of 90cm.

Foxglove 'Polka Dot Pandora' has architectural, apricot flower spikes. Being sterile, it won't self-seed but the flowers are very long lasting. 'Dalmatian Peach' has upright stems of peach coloured trumpet flowers and is particularly stunning in cottage garden borders or woodland settings. It grows to a height of 100cm. Foxglove 'Polka Dot Princess' is one of the longest flowering foxgloves with bright pink flowers on upright stems. It grows up to 60cm tall. Foxglove 'Summer King'is commonly known as the strawberry foxglove because of its eye-catching strawberry-rose flowers. Digitalis Summer King is a naturally occurring cross between the yellow-flowered Digitalis grandiflora and lavender-rose-flowered Digitalis purpurea. Foxglove 'Ianata' is one foxglove species that can thrive in hotter/drier spots. Its flowers have a protruding lower lip netted in brown, elsewhere the flowers are cream. 'Alba' as its name suggest, has pure white flowers on upright stems.

Foxgloves can be grown in [http://www.gardenplantersshop.co.uk/]garden planters, particularly the compact varieties such as Digitalis dubia, a small species from the Balearic Islands. Those grown in pots can be used to create a focal point.

Jo Poultney is one of two people behind Garden Planters. I have an RHS general certificate in horticulture. Garden Planters source unusual outdoor and indoor planters, and other garden related gifts - whatever your taste, be it traditional, modern or just a bit quirky, we will have something for you. I believe garden planters are an integral part of any garden - they enhance the overall design and say a little something about the person to whom the garden belongs. If you would like to know more about Garden Planters, visit our website at http://www.gardenplantersshop.co.uk

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Growing-Foxglove-Varieties&id=7114183] Growing Foxglove Varieties