.png) Digitalis 'Pam's Choice'
- common names: foxglove
- flowering season: early summer
- height: 6 feet
- Light requirements: half a day of sun or partial shade; doesn't like sun during the hottest part of the afternoon unless a plant is kept well watered
- Soil requirements: average garden soil; grows well in a rich soil but might then need to be staked
- Water requirments: average
- Growth habit: upright, narrow growth
- How to propagate: by seeds -- a biennial that will self-sow, comes true from seeds if other foxgloves are not nearby
- Leaf type: large leaves at the base of this plant with smaller leaves above
- Ways to use it: plant where it has some protection from strong winds or tie it to a stake; or plant it on the leeward side of a wall or building; also very attractive planted as a group along a picket fence
- Special characteristics: deer may nibble on the leaves but won't eat them very much since the plant is poisonous; not bothered by many pests
- Other points of interests: in late August or early September look for young seedlings of 'Pam's Choice' around the base of the parent plant, and if you don't weed them out, they will flower the following year
Foxgloves bloom in spring to early summer and often rebloom on shorter side shoots again in fall. 'Pam's Choice' grows to six feet tall with richly colored flowers of dark maroon-red and creamy white. You will notice that a stalk starts blooming on the lower part of the stalk and works upwards. If planted in rich, moist ground or in a windy location staking will be necessary. A 5-foot long, half-inch thick bamboo cane pushed into the ground a foot as the flower stalk just begins to shoot upwards should be sufficient support. If foxgloves are planted next to a fence, the fence can be used for support by gently tying gardeners' tape or a short length sisal twine from the stalks to the fence. Plant them 15 to 18 inches apart from each other. Bee's will visit and pollinate the flowers so by early August many seeds will be scattered around. They will germinate and grow into young plants in early autumn, so be sure not to weed them out. Seedlings of 'Pam's Choice' will have flower colors that are identical to their parents as long as other foxgloves are not close by. Starting with just a few plants you could have a large group by the second or third year, if you wanted. And the flower stalks make a very good cut flower in their season. For USDA Zones 4 - 10, in just about any part of the continental U.S. except for Florida and along the Gulf Coast. |
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