Last week, Jim and I visited a local garden center to pick up a few plants we needed to fill in some empty spots. I have learned to arm myself with a list of exactly what we require; otherwise, I will spend too much money, only to find that we don’t have the right spot for a perennial I hadn’t intended to buy.
While I was searching for one of my favorite low-growing perennials, Verbena canadensis ‘Homestead Purple,’ I spotted a grouping of tall, majestic foxgloves (Digitalis pupurea). I tried to grow foxgloves about twenty years ago, but the spot I selected was too sunny, and they didn’t survive the summer sun and heat.
The tall foxglove spires, bearing dainty, funnel-shaped blooms in shades of rose pink, light purple, and white were almost too much to resist, but I did, until next year, at least. I don’t have a shady spot prepared for these garden treasures, and I don’t want to repeat my mistake of years past.
Foxgloves are biennials, plants that generally live for only two seasons. D...
To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.