Foxglove

High 72 F
Low  60 F

I have planted many foxglove in the garden.  Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, Digitalis grandiflora, and Digitalis mertonensis, are just some of the species which I have planted. There are over twenty species and the name derives from the Latin, digitalis, which means finger.  The flowers do fit over fingers which is ill advised given the poisonous nature of this plant.  This plant is native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa and it is hardy in Zones 4-10 giving it a wide range of distribution.  I have found that its most particular requirement is winter drainage.  I have one self-seeded plant growing in a couple of inches of soil perched on a rock ledge.  No fertilizer, no attention, just this plant in pure white, a gift of the fairies, a random breeze or the weeds which were thrown over the wall.  The plants blooming in my garden now, with the exception of the yellow foxglove, Digitalis grandiflora, are gifts.  They are blooming here and there scattered just as the above white one was on the ledge.  Since they are biennial, again with the exception of the yellow aforementioned, D. grandiflora, they are somewhat of a surprise when their burly foliage greens up in the early spring and their appearance in the garden becomes known.  I don't try to move them around but leave them where they have chosen to  grow.  I planted about a dozen in one area four or five years ago.  There is only one left, a son or daughter of the original planting.  It is worth getting a close up view of the flowers.  There is a distinctive trail leading towards the center of the flower, the path to pollination guaranteeing fertilization of the flowers. Nature's tiny intricacies are often invisible to most of us as we rush through our days.  Most gardeners are familiar with this trail hidden inside each foxglove flower.  Each trail is as individual as a fingerprint.  How many of your family members have ever noticed this little phenomena?  Ask them and point it out if you have foxglove flowers to share. I would not encourage putting the flowers on fingertips since they are toxic but I might just sneak out and try it myself followed by a good hand washing.