Here’s a fireworks display of rare foxgloves that will leave you crying ‘ohh!’ and ‘ahh!’. This month, we’re sneaking around the national collection of Digitalis, held by The Botanic Nursery in Wiltshire.
First up is the strange and beautiful Digitalis campanulata ‘Alba’ (above).
‘John Innes Tetra’
Digitalis purpurea ‘Excelsior hybrids’
‘Pam’s Choice’
Digitalis x mertonensis
Digitalis heywoodii
Digitalis thapsi
Top five tips for foxglove growing from the Botanic Nursery:
1. When sowing foxglove seeds the seed needs to be on the surface of the compost not covered in a layer of soil or vermiculite as the seed needs light to germinate. (This is the cause of failure in most cases!)
2. Our native purple foxglove Digitalis purpurea has a purple vein under the leaf. If you want to keep pure colours in your garden without reversion to the purple form you can rogue out purple foxgloves by looking for this purple vein.
3. There are a surprising number of perennial foxglove species. More perennials than biennials in fact!
4. Foxgloves often hybridise and some of these hybrids, like D. campanulata alba can be very striking and produce seeds. Some have been deliberately bred and grow particularly well like ‘John Innes Tetra’ and the new variety ‘Pams Choice’
5. There is a foxglove for almost any situation from the dry shade loving heywoodii and Vesuvius forms to the dry shade tolerant x mertonensis.
So, if you’re desperate to get your hands on some of these specimens, run over to The Botanic Nursery’s website right away. They also specialise in plants for alkaline soils, which is marvellous for anyone staring miserably at a chalky plot.
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Frances
Oh what a treasure trove, as a national collection should be! I love all the digitalis and shown here are many never heard of before. Will be seeking out seed if possible. The show opener flower is very non-foxglove like.