Foxglove

This has been a great year for foxglove, or digitalis.  Sometimes a relatively small number (perhaps twenty) appear.  Not only are there more this year, the ones that showed up are tall and healthy.

 Each year's crop comes from the seeds of previous years. Sometimes they don't bloom until the second year.  The foxglove is not a true perennial, more a biennial. It relies on seeds for permanence.

Sometimes people say their foxgloves didn't return.  When I ask if they use much mulch, they say, of course.  Generally thick mulch keeps the seeds from reaching the soil.

What color are my foxgloves?  Whatever color they want to be, mostly white, lavender, or pink.  I bought a dark red one last year.  It died, and I had no red blooms this year.  But when I looked where the red foxglove had died, I found a couple of dozen little plants.  They should bloom next year.

Perhaps everyone has heard of the traditional use of digitalis as a heart medication.  My passalong foxglove may have seen that use through the years.