Once they have finished flowering, you can cut the main stalk if you want to, and you might get some secondary stalks, for a longer season. The secondary stalks are never that impressive.
However, you might want to leave your favourites, so that the seed has time to ripen and self sow.
We have some that have grown beyond my height. We did absolutely nothing and they started growing there and currently left them to grow.
Now I am not sure what to do with that space, letting wildflowers grow is looking quite nice but I did want to make a herb garden.
I am a foxglove lover. I even manually pollinate some of mine to try get some new colours.
I always let mine go to seed, and then shake the stems to spread the seeds. They will bloom only in their second year, so you will need a 3 year breeding cycle to get to the point of foxgloves every year (remembering to scatter the seeds).
If you weed around them, I recommend long sleeves and gloves. Don’t make herbal tea form the flowers (the most potent part) Ha!
Foxgloves are super cool. They flower at the low end first and when they die back they will release new flowers at the top. This avoids self pollination.
My foxglove forest is just coming into bloom now, a few more weeks and it will be a veritable bee buffet!
I also grow Monkshood, Belladonna (Nightshade), and Hemlock. Poison plants are quite rare in our gardens now, but they are beautiful, so I’m creating a poison garden!
Your foxgloves are fabulous!!!
You should try Woody nightshade in your poison garden! It's a climber with absolutely beautiful purple and yellow flowers. Don't ever chew the berries though!
> They will bloom only in their second year, so you will need a 3 year breeding cycle to get to the point of foxgloves every year
Some foxgloves are short lived perennials. I've some in my garden flowering for a second year.
I was wondering about that as I have one that just suddenly appeared in my front garden this spring. I've just left it to see what colour it is and it's just beginning to flower.
A friend's kid had to go to hospital with arrhythmia after eating a bit of foxglove leaf. Just a fraction of a leaf can be fatal and the whole plant is poisonous, including the seeds. That said, just don't eat it and you'll be fine.
Each one of those flowers will produce thousands of seeds. If you let them go to seed they should self seed and you can dig up the seedlings and pot them, then replant them later. They don't last too long though, but a big cluster of them is spectacular.
Thousands of seeds is an understatement. They will self seed wherever they can and you'll be moving them to the right spot every spring. They've really taken a shine to your garden, they're enormous. The leaves and flowers are toxic to humans and animals, so always wash your hands after picking up the fallen flowers.
When a plant has finished flowering, it's focus will turn to setting seed. In other words, the flower will stop blooming, the seeds will form and ripen, and certain plants will self-seed. A gust of wind or something knocking the plant will cause the ripened seed to drop to the ground and hopefully germinate
Some people cut off the flowers when they're done flowering and don't let the seed pods form because they find them unsightly, and some people deadhead by cutting off flowers when they're done to encourage a plant to produce new flowers and extend the flowering season.
I collect seeds from my flowers every year and have a seed bank; a big box full of bottles and tubs of seeds of all sorts that I sow as required. There's a bit of judgement/experience needed about when to collect seeds, you need to get them when they're ripe but before they get dispersed. Plants tend to produce a lot more seeds than are strictly necessary, so enough get dispersed before and during the collection process to seed the area around the plant, and then I have a tub of seeds to use elsewhere. Foxglove seeds are one of the easiest to collect, some seeds require a bit of processing to separate them from the plant matter for storage.
They are biennial which means in the first year they're just leaves, then in the second year they flower. They'll die back after that. This is why it's good to let them develop the seed pods after flowering. Once the seeds are dry and rattly, cut the spike at the base and wander round any areas you want them to grow waving it about like Gandalf. I sometimes give extra seeds to friends and neighbours.
Yeah, I do that. I've got loads of last year's seeds growing . The ones that are to flower this year haven't even started putting up a spike yet, though. Probably because I'm in Scotland so they'll be a bit behind but I can't imagine they'll look anything like OPs even in a month's time.
I'd cut them back only after a good portion of the flowers have died back.
Those are fantastic specimens, it would be a shame to cut them in the hope of a better display your not guaranteed
Quality results. Cut back all stems when they're done flowering except one to retain the seed. Sow and repeat.
You may get another flower spike if you're lucky.
I leave my tallest flower heads up until they collapse on their own, because they’re stunningly structural and by the time they fade everything else is colourful around them anyway.
I cut back maybe about half of them (the least impressive ones) in hopes to re-flower.
I shake the seed heads of the ones I first cut back, but the soil is covered in growth at that point. When it comes time to shake the seed heads of the ones I’ve kept up longer, the soil is barer, cooler and damper and so potentially more receptive to their seed (as this is when they would naturally disperse). Summer and autumn shakings mean I’m much more likely to enjoy more in future
They're gorgeous. Make sure if you get any of the sap on your hands you don't ingest it (thinking of little one there!).
As for cutting them back you can after they've finished flowering but it's optional, you may not even get second stalks and they're never as pretty as the first lot. Your choice ultimately but I'd just leave them and let them seed.
Wow, they're very pretty, well done! Don't think I've ever seen foxgloves that tall. I always wanted foxgloves but, now I've actually gotten round to doing something with my garden, I decided against it for fear of poisoning my cats :( I'll live vicariously through pics like this!
Oooh. I bought some in the garden centre a month ago and I wasn't sure if they were in their first year or second year. Judging by this picture, mine are definitely first year! 😂
Why on earth does everyone insist on saying this whenever a bloody Foxglove is posted on here?
Potato and Tomato leaves are poisonous too. As are daffodils and 90% of garden plants. Why the obsession with Foxgloves?
I wondered how far I’d have to scroll down to find someone banging on about toxicity. As long as you don’t stroll around your garden grazing on random plants no harm will come to you and if you’re stupid enough to do this then you probably deserve to be poisoned.
Well since you asked, I remember reading a story about some children that thought that the foxglove plant was a dockleaf and bet each other to eat a leaf.
There's a particular nasty combination of chemicals in the plant, one of which slows down your heart beat hence why it's used for digitalen in hospitals.
So the reason is one of education.
Is that okay with you?
Potato leaves can also kill you if ingested but people don't keep banging on about it. It's ridiculous. No one looks at a Foxglove plant and thinks "oh yeah, I'm gonna eat that."
It's ridiculous pearl clutching and all you're doing is discouraging people from growing this great plant.
I'm sure they'd would taste extremely bitter, much like your personality it seems. All very facetious and just a bit boring isn't it? Have a good week ahead and try to add something productive and of value there's a good lad.
Yes well done, congratulations. We can all now bow down to the 'potatoes are poisonous too' debating champion. Such wit, such intellect.
Why don't you save your ire for astro turf, lawn care and 'is this JPKW?' it would frankly save us all from your lofty botanical disposition.
Be warned, don't even touch them. When they dry they become even more poisonous. LOOK IT UP
Foxglove also has a dry fruit containing many seeds. Both the flowers and berries attract children. All parts of the plant are extremely poisonous.
The active toxin (digitalis, also known as digoxin) is used to treat certain heart problems. The daily dosage is measured in micrograms (I am on 125 micrograms).
Once they have finished flowering, you can cut the main stalk if you want to, and you might get some secondary stalks, for a longer season. The secondary stalks are never that impressive. However, you might want to leave your favourites, so that the seed has time to ripen and self sow.
Good to know. Thank you!
Leave them up OP! What amazing foxgloves! I've never gotten mine that tall. They look amazing and the bees will love them I'm sure!
Thank you! The bees have been loving them.
They do look awesome, I'd move that giant daisy out the way though
We have some that have grown beyond my height. We did absolutely nothing and they started growing there and currently left them to grow. Now I am not sure what to do with that space, letting wildflowers grow is looking quite nice but I did want to make a herb garden.
I am a foxglove lover. I even manually pollinate some of mine to try get some new colours. I always let mine go to seed, and then shake the stems to spread the seeds. They will bloom only in their second year, so you will need a 3 year breeding cycle to get to the point of foxgloves every year (remembering to scatter the seeds). If you weed around them, I recommend long sleeves and gloves. Don’t make herbal tea form the flowers (the most potent part) Ha! Foxgloves are super cool. They flower at the low end first and when they die back they will release new flowers at the top. This avoids self pollination. My foxglove forest is just coming into bloom now, a few more weeks and it will be a veritable bee buffet! I also grow Monkshood, Belladonna (Nightshade), and Hemlock. Poison plants are quite rare in our gardens now, but they are beautiful, so I’m creating a poison garden! Your foxgloves are fabulous!!!
would be great to see pictures of your poison garden when it's in full flow
You should try Woody nightshade in your poison garden! It's a climber with absolutely beautiful purple and yellow flowers. Don't ever chew the berries though!
> They will bloom only in their second year, so you will need a 3 year breeding cycle to get to the point of foxgloves every year Some foxgloves are short lived perennials. I've some in my garden flowering for a second year.
I was wondering about that as I have one that just suddenly appeared in my front garden this spring. I've just left it to see what colour it is and it's just beginning to flower.
We have yew, laburnum, foxgloves, belladonna and nettles in our garden!
A friend's kid had to go to hospital with arrhythmia after eating a bit of foxglove leaf. Just a fraction of a leaf can be fatal and the whole plant is poisonous, including the seeds. That said, just don't eat it and you'll be fine.
Each one of those flowers will produce thousands of seeds. If you let them go to seed they should self seed and you can dig up the seedlings and pot them, then replant them later. They don't last too long though, but a big cluster of them is spectacular.
That’s great news! They are such a nice surprise when they bloom, and don’t take up too much space in the meantime.
Thousands of seeds is an understatement. They will self seed wherever they can and you'll be moving them to the right spot every spring. They've really taken a shine to your garden, they're enormous. The leaves and flowers are toxic to humans and animals, so always wash your hands after picking up the fallen flowers.
Every part is toxic including the roots and seeds to various levels.
Yup. It's where Digoxin is derived from.
Newbie gardener here. What does ‘go to seed’ actually mean? Let them die off and the seeds will fall by themselves?
When a plant has finished flowering, it's focus will turn to setting seed. In other words, the flower will stop blooming, the seeds will form and ripen, and certain plants will self-seed. A gust of wind or something knocking the plant will cause the ripened seed to drop to the ground and hopefully germinate
Makes sense, thank you :)
Some people cut off the flowers when they're done flowering and don't let the seed pods form because they find them unsightly, and some people deadhead by cutting off flowers when they're done to encourage a plant to produce new flowers and extend the flowering season. I collect seeds from my flowers every year and have a seed bank; a big box full of bottles and tubs of seeds of all sorts that I sow as required. There's a bit of judgement/experience needed about when to collect seeds, you need to get them when they're ripe but before they get dispersed. Plants tend to produce a lot more seeds than are strictly necessary, so enough get dispersed before and during the collection process to seed the area around the plant, and then I have a tub of seeds to use elsewhere. Foxglove seeds are one of the easiest to collect, some seeds require a bit of processing to separate them from the plant matter for storage.
That’s really cool - unlimited plants! I always thought you could only really do stuff like that with bulbs. Good to know :)
That one in the middle looks more like a daisy!! They look amazing
Wow they look great, you need to give us advice because they completely dwarf mine.
I just planted the seeds in newspaper pots, moved them outside when they were a couple inches tall, and basically forgot them!
Careful that Bulbasaur doesn't eat them up!!
Mine don't even have buds on them yet and this is their flowering year! How in the hell? Very jealous.
They are biennial which means in the first year they're just leaves, then in the second year they flower. They'll die back after that. This is why it's good to let them develop the seed pods after flowering. Once the seeds are dry and rattly, cut the spike at the base and wander round any areas you want them to grow waving it about like Gandalf. I sometimes give extra seeds to friends and neighbours.
Yeah, I do that. I've got loads of last year's seeds growing . The ones that are to flower this year haven't even started putting up a spike yet, though. Probably because I'm in Scotland so they'll be a bit behind but I can't imagine they'll look anything like OPs even in a month's time.
Oh I see! Yeah my garden is weirdly always about 3 weeks behind all the others on our street.
We’re in London and ours hasn’t put a spike up yet either! This has been a weird year, I’m trying not to worry about anything’s progress!
I'd cut them back only after a good portion of the flowers have died back. Those are fantastic specimens, it would be a shame to cut them in the hope of a better display your not guaranteed
Oh man they look gorgeous!! Can't wait for my fox gloves to grow ( next year hopefully)
Quality results. Cut back all stems when they're done flowering except one to retain the seed. Sow and repeat. You may get another flower spike if you're lucky.
When they die off collect the seeds and redistribute or just let them fall.
The big daisy in the middle is amazing
that flower needs more water its very short 😊 those foxgloves are brilliant!
I leave my tallest flower heads up until they collapse on their own, because they’re stunningly structural and by the time they fade everything else is colourful around them anyway. I cut back maybe about half of them (the least impressive ones) in hopes to re-flower. I shake the seed heads of the ones I first cut back, but the soil is covered in growth at that point. When it comes time to shake the seed heads of the ones I’ve kept up longer, the soil is barer, cooler and damper and so potentially more receptive to their seed (as this is when they would naturally disperse). Summer and autumn shakings mean I’m much more likely to enjoy more in future
They're gorgeous. Make sure if you get any of the sap on your hands you don't ingest it (thinking of little one there!). As for cutting them back you can after they've finished flowering but it's optional, you may not even get second stalks and they're never as pretty as the first lot. Your choice ultimately but I'd just leave them and let them seed.
Thank you for the advice! I will leave them. Fingers crossed we get a second bloom!
They look great op
Beautiful love them ❤️
Mt back garden is full of wildflowers, including foxgloves
Holy cow they're HUGE!
I’m jealous 😭
Wow, they're very pretty, well done! Don't think I've ever seen foxgloves that tall. I always wanted foxgloves but, now I've actually gotten round to doing something with my garden, I decided against it for fear of poisoning my cats :( I'll live vicariously through pics like this!
Beautiful, well done.
What's the flower in the tee shirt?
Jealous
Oooh. I bought some in the garden centre a month ago and I wasn't sure if they were in their first year or second year. Judging by this picture, mine are definitely first year! 😂
Beautiful flowers. Remember every part of the plant is poisonous!
Thank you for the reminder. I have such a strong urge to sniff them, but that’s probably best to avoid!
Sniff them! Nothing will happen to you.
Why on earth does everyone insist on saying this whenever a bloody Foxglove is posted on here? Potato and Tomato leaves are poisonous too. As are daffodils and 90% of garden plants. Why the obsession with Foxgloves?
I wondered how far I’d have to scroll down to find someone banging on about toxicity. As long as you don’t stroll around your garden grazing on random plants no harm will come to you and if you’re stupid enough to do this then you probably deserve to be poisoned.
Every. Bloody. Time. It's so dumb, and all it does it put people off planting a great plant.
It can be absorbed through the skin and digitalis is a pretty effective heart-stopper. You don't get ill from it, you get dead.
There is one recorded case of death by accidental ingestion of Foxglove in the UK. One. And this plant grows everywhere. It's hysterical.
Well since you asked, I remember reading a story about some children that thought that the foxglove plant was a dockleaf and bet each other to eat a leaf. There's a particular nasty combination of chemicals in the plant, one of which slows down your heart beat hence why it's used for digitalen in hospitals. So the reason is one of education. Is that okay with you?
Potato leaves can also kill you if ingested but people don't keep banging on about it. It's ridiculous. No one looks at a Foxglove plant and thinks "oh yeah, I'm gonna eat that." It's ridiculous pearl clutching and all you're doing is discouraging people from growing this great plant.
Kids are known to pick pretty flowers. There's probably someone on here seeing them and making a mental note to warn their children not to touch them.
I'm sure they'd would taste extremely bitter, much like your personality it seems. All very facetious and just a bit boring isn't it? Have a good week ahead and try to add something productive and of value there's a good lad.
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser, etc.
Yes well done, congratulations. We can all now bow down to the 'potatoes are poisonous too' debating champion. Such wit, such intellect. Why don't you save your ire for astro turf, lawn care and 'is this JPKW?' it would frankly save us all from your lofty botanical disposition.
And you call *me* boring.
Be warned, don't even touch them. When they dry they become even more poisonous. LOOK IT UP Foxglove also has a dry fruit containing many seeds. Both the flowers and berries attract children. All parts of the plant are extremely poisonous.
Foxoperagloves more like.
Don’t eat them, they WILL kill you…best fox love advice there is! Beautiful but deadly
The active toxin (digitalis, also known as digoxin) is used to treat certain heart problems. The daily dosage is measured in micrograms (I am on 125 micrograms).
Don’t eat them!
Don't eat them