Does anyone know why blooming size foxglove produce tons of big healthy leaves but fail to bloom? I love them and it is so frustrating when they do not bloom.
Foxglove
How long have you had them? I have dozens of large foxglove plants without any blooms that I grew from winter sowing this year, and my understanding (not sure where I read it) is that they, like many perennials, usually don't flower until the second year.
Common foxgloves are biennial, having a life cycle that takes two growing seasons to complete. And even the foxgloves that are called perennial often act more biennial like. And to complicate it even more, the ones they call annual need about 5-6 months of good growing season before they flower, so they may not flower the first year for us here in NY.
Do you know what cultivar of foxgloves you have?
I would suspect they will flower next year if they have really good foliage this year. But tell us a little more about them, their names, when you planted them, anything else you can think of.
Do they have large fuzzy leaves? if so, they're probably the biennial type.
If your foxgloves have smooth, pointed, smaller leaves they may be the perennial yellow digitalis. I had one for several years, and it grew to about a foot wide. Then I had to move it and I lost it. This year I have been enjoying a long season of bloom from its replacement.
Quiltjean, do you let your yellow foxgloves (d. grandiflora) go to seed? I have them also, and I let them go to seed, and they spread very nicely around the yard. I love these. They are not as showy as the biennials, but I love the soft yellow color, and as you said, they bloom for weeks
I can definitely identify with your frustration with your foxglove. I probably have thirty plants or more in my yard that I am waiting to bloom. I started all of these from seed early this spring, and I noticed that the package said that they bloom the first year, but I am still waiting.
I was encouraged yesterday when I noticed that one plant looks like it has a flower stalk growing. In light of this, I am guessing that I may have a lot of flowers in another month or so. Maybe your plants need a little more time?
Here is my one flower stalk as of yesterday. This is my first year growing foxglove.
Thanks for the replies. I am not sure what type I have. I bought it from a nursery in may as ready to bloom. It is now a large clump over a foot wide with no blooms.
It might not bloom until next year, then, but if it's got healthy leaves it will bloom and be beautiful.
I just can't grow foxglove here, I think it just doesn't cool off enough at night for them. Here was mine on 6/1
Then on 6/7 it looked like this. The leaves start to brown on the edges, the stalk collapses, and before you know it, the plant is gone.
Mine do well--I grow them from seed in mid summer, transplant them into the bed in fall and they reliably bloom the following early summer. Two thoughts-- first, the soil is extremely bad where I grow them--well drained, but not a ton of nutrients. Maybe yours are too happy, so they grow too much foliage and don't bloom? Second, I am growing the newer variety which is supposed to bloom the first year (Camelot series). I know you said that about yours also, but mine go through a winter before they bloom. So they do technically "bloom the first year," but it is not in one season.
This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 2:06 PM
Foxgloves wintersow very well, bloom in the second year.
Karen
The leaves on mine always look ugly in summer. Here, you can see one toward the right, about to rebloom. I just pull off the nasty, big leaves a few at a time and they grow fresh new foliage.
Karen
Since foxglove is a short lived biennial, will I need to start more next year? All of mine were started from seed earlier this year.
I usually start them each year for two or three years, and after that you get them reliably from seed. That is if you let the seed germinate. If you are using anything to keep weeds from germinating, like Preen, you will need to plant new foxgloves every year to keep them going.
Thanks Pollyk
Pretty lobelia Karen
I hate to admit it, DigerDee, but I have ignored my yellow digitalis and it has probably set some seed. It's deep in the garden amd I just haven't been there during this hot, humid weather except to deadhead the hemerocallis. We are having one 70-degree day today so maybe I'll get out there and cut it back. The last of three stalks has the last bloom.
Quiltjean, I hear ya! My garden is neglected pretty much on a regular basis, lol, but this year, between the rain, and then the days that don't rain being so very humid, I have not been out much either. This humidity is horrible - my goodness, sitting on the ground pulling weeds in the shade results in a drenching sweat! So I have let things fend for themselves for the most part.
But I was asking if you let yours go to seed because you said you lost the one you had. Let a little seed drop, and you'll never have to worry about losing these again! Hopefully your yellow foxgloves have dropped some seed by now. Keep an eye out next spring for some seedlings. I love the way these reseed - not aggressively or invasively, but nicely, so you get some extra plants here and there, and can even share with friends.
I finally got my first bloom. I noticed it yesterday while cleaning up the yard. It's been close to 100 for the last few days. As soon as it cools down a little, I will take a picture.