Floxglove

Hi Tipton

I agree with birdlady1 and just leave it to shed it's seed in your garden.  We planted one in our garden two years ago and now it crops up in unexpected places .  It usually flowers in different colours from the original as well.

Linda

Unknown said:

Hello, What should you do with a Floxglove that as now shed all its flowers.

All the best, Tipton.

 

Hello, Thank you for the replies. As you may have guessed i am new to gardening, i have always had other intrests that have taken my time. Have to say that its mar lady thats the gardener but thought i would like to find out for myself about floxgloves. We only have a small garden, had a lawn laid earlier this year and its great to have the deckchairs out and watch the birds at the feeders. Got lots of different types of flowers around the boarders and its just such a nice way to pass time.

All the best, Tipton.

Most foxgloves are biennial (sow one year and they flower the following year then die) but some are perennial (will flower year after year) so it all depends which you have. If you don’t find the seed head unsightly and you want it to self seed freely then leave it where it is. The problem with this is the seeds will decide where to grow which might not suit your garden plan.

You could cut the spent flower spike off at the base and lay it on newspaper for the seeds to ripen then you can sprinkle them where you want them. If it is perennial leave the plant where it is, if it is biannual it could still flower the following year but there is no guarantee.  

Unknown said:

Most foxgloves are biennial (sow one year and they flower the following year then die) but some are perennial (will flower year after year) so it all depends which you have. If you don’t find the seed head unsightly and you want it to self seed freely then leave it where it is. The problem with this is the seeds will decide where to grow which might not suit your garden plan.

 

You could cut the spent flower spike off at the base and lay it on newspaper for the seeds to ripen then you can sprinkle them where you want them. If it is perennial leave the plant where it is, if it is biannual it could still flower the following year but there is no guarantee.  

This happened with us...the foxgloves weren't happy where we planted them and moved to a different part of the garden (we had one or two which flowered where they were planted then the next year they were on the other side of the garden!  Didn't mind though, they grew better where they chose to live!

We just left the foxgloves, some re-flowered, some didn't.  One year we had one flowering well into the autumn too.

I'd be inclined to leave it too (if you don't have children or have children who know not to eat strange plants!) - foxgloves do seem to like to wander about and find their own spaces - they are a woodland plant so tend to like shady places. Also, if it is biennial it will flower every other year, so it may be worth putting some new plants in to flower next year to get blooms every year :-)