Digitalis purpurea (common name Common foxglove)

planted in our English rustic charm garden and front garden

The original common foxglove self seeds itself around the garden at will, most of the seedlings get chucked on the compost, but I always collect and transplant a few for those difficult areas of dry shade and it seems to flourish. This one decided to grow

WARNING POISONOUS if eaten, it slows the heart, the medecine digoxin is derived from this plant..
Long flowering period attracts pollinators mostly bumble bees and keeps them coming back for about 6 weeks. I let them flower in flower border and around the edges of my vegetable garden and in the wild corner which encourages beneficial insect.
This helps the bumble bees whose numbers are declining. They look attractive too.

We are growing a few varieties including 'Albiflora' and 'Pam's Choice' as well as the straight species. One of my favourite plants.

my encyclopedia says: Digitalis purpurea L. Foxglove.
Native of W. Europe, from Ireland south to Spain and Morocco, east to Finland, Czechoslovakia and in Corsica and Sardinia, widely naturalized elsewhere in Europe, in North America and on mountains in North Africa, growing in woods and on rocky slopes, usually on acid soils, flowering in June-Sept.Plant usually biennial, but often perennial in SW Europe and Corsica. Stems to 180 cm. Flowers 40-55 mm. long, purplish, pink or white. For any soil except pure limestone in partial shade. Hardy to -25degrees C. '

'Digitalis purpurea subsp. heywoodii P. & M. Silva, Native to Portugal, around Reguenogos de Monsaraz, growing on granite rocks, flowering in June. Plant with rosettes of very woolly, white leaves, the lowest ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, tapered into the petiole. Flowering stems to 75cm. Flowers creamy white, sometimes yellowish or pinkish, sparsely hairy outside. A beautiful planat for well-drained soil in sun or partial shade, not too dry att he root. susceptible to warm damap in winter. Hardy to -15degrees C. Subsp. mariana (Boiss) Rivas Goday (not shown) has white wooly leaves but purplish pink flowers, glabrous outside. It is native of S-Cent.Spain and NE Portugal, growing on rocky slopes and plains, flowering in June - august. Digitalis Thapsi L. from E. Portugal and Central and W. Spain is rather similar: covered with yellowish glandular hairs and the inflorescence is branched. The purplish-pink flowers are pubescent outside.

Seed sown in early March 2008. Sent by Pauline of GOY. Good germination. Put outside for hardening off on 10th April. To plant out when a lot bigger.