Newbie with a foxglove question

Hi

apologies for a newbie question but I’m trying to take some control of my garden

I planted three foxgloves in a west facing bed 2 weeks ago. I’m trying not to water too much, although my moisture meter says the soil is on the border of moist and wet.

I dint know if this is normal or not, but a lot of the flowers have gone brown

Could I please have a perspective from someone that knows more than me? I’ve uploaded the initial planting image for comparison

Thanks

Dave

 

Yup, that is what foxgloves do. They flower late May into June, then you get thousands of seeds on each flowerstalk, ready to grow, and flower next year (or the year after). When the flowers at the top of the spike are finished, you can cut back the stem to the first “proper” leaves. The plant may reward you with a side spike of flowers….
(I have tried to indicate - badly - on this photo…)

 

Thank you so much

if I cut the stems as suggested, am I therefore removing the seed pods, and the chance of new plants next year?

Thank you

D

 

I''m going to disagree totally with the moisture meter . That soil looks bone dry, and when you consider the wilting foliage, the wall, and the fact that it's west facing, it's far more likely to be dry rather than wet ,especially if the soil's poorer. Far better to stick your finger down into teh soil to see how damp or dry it is.
They were planted 2 weeks ago? How much did you water them and did you prep the area first? Ideally, it should be a large amount of water - in at the base, then left for several days before repeating. Unless you're in a consistently wet part of the country, which makes it easier to establish new plants, I think you may have been underwatering rather than the opposite.

If you cut all the stems right back, you may, and I stress 'may', get a few more flowers as that can depend on the variety and also your location/climate, but yes - if there are no more flowers that will mean no seed.
It's very early for them to be done IMO. Ours are barely starting to flower here apart from the wild ones.

 

Moisture says almost wet, finger was pretty dry. I’ve gone with water!

 

Mine have been flowering for weeks now but are still putting up new flower spikes. I do have an ideal garden for them though - lots of dappled shade.

 

Very true about the watering,@fairygirl .

we have had hardly any rain here for 2-3 months now. The foxgloves started flowering at the beginning of May, and are going over a little prematurely. It very much depends where @David R is based, and what weather he has had, and is having.

@David R, if the flowers at the top have opened, and finished, you will find that the seed-pods near the bottom are starting to rattle a little. If you do choose to cut the spike(s), get a large paper bag, or envelope, and put the spikes in there, to dry. When they have dried out, empty on a tray, and you will find 1000s of seeds, ready to re-sow where you want them to grow.

 

Thanks

I’m in Merseyside

 

I thought these photos might help a little.

This is a stressed foxglove, where the flowers have all gone over prematurely because of the drought. You can see the dead flowers are attached all the way down the stem.


this is a more “normal” plant, where the lower flowers fell off as they finished. You can see how the seed pods near the bottom of the stem are starting to change colour. The plant is also starting to put out side shoots, which may flower for a few more weeks.


This is a plant which had a 6 foot spike just a few weeks ago. I cut it down to the base (as otherwise it was blocking the stepping stones), and now it is putting out side spikes.

As you can see, foxgloves can survive dry conditions. All three plants are self-seeded into a gravel soakaway for the drive. However the clue is “self-seeded”. They spent the first year(s) putting down deep tap roots, which are now supporting them. The gravel goes down a metre!!
Your new plants, in comparison, have roots that just go down a few inches. I would soak-water them every 4-5 days, to encourage them to put down roots. If you take off the spent flower spikes, and keep tending the plants, they will probably come back next year with more, bigger spikes, and will cope much better with any drought.

Looking at your photo, I would say your left-hand plant looks fairly normal. But the right hand little group of plants look quite stressed. Maybe less water in the soil next to the wall?

 

It's also important to ensure a sizeable specimen is well watered for the first few weeks [months in very dry areas] to get that root system established properly. People often say - 'oh but they self seed and I don't water them' but it's a totally different thing planting a mature plant as opposed to something seeding by itself into a site, because the latter will survive or die depending on the area it seeds into, and the general conditions it gets. It's why plants like foxgloves [and many others] produce thousands of seeds. Many just won't make it.
They grow in quite sunny areas here @Escarpment , but our climate and conditions suit them well, and is generally cooler than many areas of the UK. I also have some that seed into the gravel I have, and I move them depending on whether they're ones I want, or the native ones. There's enough of those everywhere in the area, so I don't need them in my garden!
I'd think you'd have reasonable weather for them to be ok @David R , but it's that initial establishment and soil condition that will determine how well they continue to thrive over summer etc. I'm sure you'll get some seed and you'll be able to keep them going though. Whether they remain true to type is another matter. Many of them revert

 

We have self-seeding foxgloves and I religiously collect some of the seed to try and get them into the areas where I want them. I transplant some of the young plants with tender care and attention. Never works - mine refuse to grow anywhere which is remotely shaded. I would love them to grow in my wild area which is in dappled shade Where they like to grow is in my sunniest borders

 

I always shake the seeds of foxgloves where I'd like them to grow. Sometimes they oblige, but often not. They're one of those plants that seem to do best when you let them self-sow and grow where they like.