They are poisonous, they are magnificent ornamental plants in the bed and they are easy to care for – the Foxglove. But do you have to sow them every two years or do they last longer?
What is the life of the Foxglove like?
In its first year of life, it forms a rosette of leaves. The ignorant tend to confuse these with weeds, as there are no flowers, and quickly remove them as a result.
But waiting is the order of the day. The hardy foxglove shoots up a long and candle-like stalk in its second year of life. Here are its flowers. The seeds emerge in autumn.
Both the first and second year (and subsequent years if applicable) – the foxglove is poisonous. Sometimes it seems as if he lives for years. But fallacy: it likes to self-seed and for this reason, it appears to be extremely long-lived.
Intervene in life expectancy
To get a perennial foxglove, there is a trick. As soon as the flowers have faded in the second year, they should be cut off. The result is that flowers form again in the third year. However, this bloom is usually more sparse.
If this procedure is omitted, the foxglove is usually unwilling to appear again. As soon as winter approaches, it dies. It has no reason to bloom again. It has already fulfilled its task (the propagation) with the formation of its seeds.
Biennial or perennial – foxglove species
There are numerous foxglove species. They differ, among other things, in their life expectancy. Most species, such as foxgloves, are biennials by nature. Very few species are perennial. But they all have in common that they wither away after an average of 3 years.
Foxglove species that are biennial but can be grown perennial (by cutting off the flower stalks) are listed here:
- Yellow Foxglove
- Large-flowered foxglove
- Woolly Thimble
- Rusty Foxglove
- Dark Foxglove
- Small-flowered foxglove
- Turkish thimble
