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Does anyone have any tips on Foxglove? Some of mine are getting so tall they fall over; are you suppose to tie them up? Also one died suddenly maybe too much water, it seemed to get mushy?
Could be too much water or rich soil making them grow too tall, or you may be the victim of plant hybridizers who have bred foxgloves to be huge, floppy, floral-bouquet plants instead of the sturdy, woodland wildlings they started out as. Sounds like you need insert a cane next to each plant and securely tie the flowering stalk to it.
As an alternative to floppy, biennial foxgloves that will die after flowering, try growing perennials such as Digitalis grandiflora (yellow) and Digitalis thapsi (pink). Both these perennial foxgloves will tolerate sun and poor soil, and are hardy even in my Zone.
All foxgloves are quite tall plants but there are new types out that should only grow to about 1 foot, most like damp but well drained soil and dapple shade, as said before, they are woodland plants, the one that has gone to mush should be removed as whatever caused it (could be soil born) you dont want to spread to the others, if you dig it up, take it away from the garden plants and lay on a newspaper, try remove the soil from the roots and examine it, if there are weevles/grubs etc on the roots,in between the bottom leaves etc, burn it and keep a close eye on your other plants, if the roots are too wet, then you are overwatering, if there is a fungus or mould growing on the roots, you need to find out which fungus, but these plants are normally hard as nails, did you buy the plants as ready to plant or did you do them from seed, if bought plants, then maybe the trouble came with the plant, so the best thing for you to do is quickly lift and examine, be gentle till you see the prob as if it is simple to sort, you may be able to save the plant, good luck, hope this helps, remember you can save some seed from your healthy plants to scatter for next year, WeeNel.
Great thanks for the info!
They are growing at least two feet tall and flopping over so maybe they are the hybrid ones. I bought them at Lowes already established and they all look healthy except that one that I will dig up and look at. I have a feeling I was overwatering; I have a tendency to do that!
So they are biennials? I did not know that! How do you get the seeds to spread them?
I did find some growing in the woods near me as well and I dug up a few, I was very excited!
Hey, everyone. Sorry to go off on a tangent here, but I have a foxglove question for you foxglove growers out there. Are there any varieties that aren't deadly? I have heard and read that they are one of the most toxic plants on the planet, but yet I saw them being sold at a local garden center. Isn't it frightening if these are so toxic that anyone could come along and plant them wherever they wanted without knowing their danger? I'm holding on to the hope that perhaps the varieties I've seen in the store are not toxic. What do you think???
I'm pretty sure that all foxgloves contain a chemical (digitalin?) that affects the heart. I grew a lot of different species at one time, and the deer never touched any of them.
