RUSTY AND MILK CHOCOLATE
LEONIE LOVES
Sowing the Seed
Foxgloves are very easy to sow yourself and if you’re a fan of this wonderful flower, sowing your own is a great way to start your own collection. I love the many varieties available and there are some that many people would not even recognise as a foxglove.
The stunning Mediterranean Digitalis ferruginea rusty foxglove is a fascinating plant that spires elegantly upwards in thin candle shapes. It has smaller, more delicate blooms than the purpurea and they are packed tighter together. The leaves are also narrower and lance shaped and rise up the full stem – the purpurea stem just has the odd leaf. The rusty peach colour of the blooms is really eye catching and not as common as it should be in our gardens. A wonderful rich shade.
Another favourite that I am planning on growing next season is Digitalis parviflora ‘Milk Chocolate Foxglove’, a plant that will stop you in your tracks with its deep rich chocolate tones and the rich foliage that works so well with the blooms. This variety is from Spain and makes excellent cut flowers. It’s actually one I’ve never seen in a garden here so definitely a talking point.
A truly elegant variety is the gorgeous Digitalis ‘Dalmation White’. It looks great planted into a dark corner of the garden where it will bring a bit of light and elegance. I love planting it on its own with ferns and grasses for maximum impact. There is nothing quite like those spires of white bells set off by rich green foliage around it.
All these varieties and many more are available to order from the wonderful seed collector site www.seedaholic.com