Foxgloves: Rethinking a Fickle Flower - Gardenista
Foxgloves: Rethinking a Fickle Flower - Gardenista
Photography by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.
Photography by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.
Foxgloves behave like a bad boyfriend. Owing to their biennial nature and a tendency to self-sow freely, foxgloves usually don’t show up when or where you expect them.
Foxgloves behave like a bad boyfriend. Owing to their biennial nature and a tendency to self-sow freely, foxgloves usually don’t show up when or where you expect them.
Every year I plant white common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), which blooms in the second year. But the real surprise this year was the purple foxgloves: where did they come from?
Every year I plant white common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), which blooms in the second year. But the real surprise this year was the purple foxgloves: where did they come from?
I cut an armload of flowering foxgloves, clipping the stems at the base of the plant.
1. Put foxgloves in water.
1. Put foxgloves in water.
One of the best reasons to cut flowers is it gives you the opportunity to closely examine them.
One of the best reasons to cut flowers is it gives you the opportunity to closely examine them.
2. Strip leaves off flower stalks.
2. Strip leaves off flower stalks.
When you arrange cut flowers, the first step is to strip off the leaves from the bottom third of the stem.
3. Give each flower a fresh cut.
3. Give each flower a fresh cut.
Before placing each stem into the vase, I made a sharply angled fresh cut on the stalk, about two inches from the bottom.
Before placing each stem into the vase, I made a sharply angled fresh cut on the stalk, about two inches from the bottom.
A clear glass Evelyn Large Vase has a fluted rim to hold each tall stem in place; $26.95 at Crate & Barrel.
A clear glass Evelyn Large Vase has a fluted rim to hold each tall stem in place; $26.95 at Crate & Barrel.
4. Choose the right vase.
4. Choose the right vase.
5. Allow foxgloves to drape over the vase.
5. Allow foxgloves to drape over the vase.
Bent, crooked, and twisty foxglove stalks are useful because they will soften the lines of a floral arrangement and prevent it from looking too stiff.
Bent, crooked, and twisty foxglove stalks are useful because they will soften the lines of a floral arrangement and prevent it from looking too stiff.
It’s OK to mix a lot of colors; the fact that all the flowers are foxgloves—and therefore the same shape, size, and texture—is enough to lend coherence to the arrangement.
It’s OK to mix a lot of colors; the fact that all the flowers are foxgloves—and therefore the same shape, size, and texture—is enough to lend coherence to the arrangement.
6. Mix and match foxglove colors.
6. Mix and match foxglove colors.
With such tall stalks, you don’t need any filler flowers or foliage; foxgloves create plenty of drama on their own.
With such tall stalks, you don’t need any filler flowers or foliage; foxgloves create plenty of drama on their own.
The best way to create a steady supply of foxglove flowers is to plant some every year (a biennial plant, it takes two years to bloom).
The best way to create a steady supply of foxglove flowers is to plant some every year (a biennial plant, it takes two years to bloom).
7. Do not eat any part of a foxglove plant.
7. Do not eat any part of a foxglove plant.
Don’t eat flowers, leaves, stalks or any other part of a foxglove plant—and don’t let your pets or children eat foxgloves. Digitalis purpurea produces digitoxin, a poisonous substance which slows heart rates dramatically; fatalities have been documented.
Don’t eat flowers, leaves, stalks or any other part of a foxglove plant—and don’t let your pets or children eat foxgloves. Digitalis purpurea produces digitoxin, a poisonous substance which slows heart rates dramatically; fatalities have been documented.
As cut flowers go, foxgloves are heavy drinkers. : It’s simple to cut and arrange flowers from your garden if you have all the materials handy.
8. Keep adding water to the vase.
8. Keep adding water to the vase.