One of my top 5 flowers in the garden, has to be the Foxglove and I was reminded, this week, when I saw this lovely page from a book, that it must be time to sow Foxglove seeds for next year.
I’m always successful but it’s the pricking out that drives me nuts as the seedlings are so tiny and I’m not the most patient of people! Thank goodness the end result is worth it!
The Foxglove, as we know, is such a valuable source of nectar for the bees and can be seen growing in gardens, growing wild in the hedgerow, growing on heathland or on the edge of woodland.
And it comes in a variety of colours.
The origins of the name foxglove are unclear, but, apparently, can be traced all the way back to the Anglo-Saxon period.
Some people think that the ‘glove’ part of the name is due to the flowers looking like glove fingers. However, less certain is the connection to foxes. Some believed that foxes wore the flowers on their paws to silence their movements when hunting! Hmmm!
Foxglove contains a chemical called Digitalis; this can be used to treat heart failure and high blood pressure. However, the plant is poisonous if consumed directly.
Although there are many varieties nowadays, my preference is for the common Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea; I’ve sowed these along with Sutton’s Apricot, which I also love.
Fingers crossed that they won’t take too long to germinate although I have to say that it’s not that warm, here in South Devon!
Not too warm here either but it has been a very good year for Foxgloves, like you I like the common one though there are some lovely varieties, we have mostly pink in our garden and one creamy white, which was the first to flower this season:)
ReplyDeleteThey are such a beautiful flower. I always trust to luck and hope they will seed themselves. This year we have had lots. B x
ReplyDeleteFoxgloves come in such a beautiful array of colours now, but I still delight to see them growing wild.
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