In brief: Digitalis purpurea

lovely spikes of purple thimble-like flowers beloved by bees

I always associate foxgloves with woodland and once having cleared a path through my small copse (see The way through the woods), I make it a habit to dig up any digitalis seedlings I find in the garden and replant them there. But as with all things natural, things are not quite that simple.

Firstly foxgloves prefer soil to be more acidic and humus rich and after years of leaf fall I would have expected this to be so in the woodland garden but actually the soil here is neutral to alkaline, primarily because there are seams of dense clay in the area. Secondly in their natural habitat, the plants tend to grow tall and robust where there is plenty of dappled light as in woodland edges and hedgerows and hence they tend to be less impressive in the more shady, interior area I have to offer. Equally since the seeds rely on light to germinate, the chance of them spreading here is greatly reduced.

Some seedlings however escape the transfer to woodland because they find a spot and entrench themselves so strongly and deeply that to uproot them is more harmful. Currently this trinity of tall pink-purple spikes are blooming in the First Sight bed of the Japanesque garden. These are biennial plants so after flowering will not be here next year. Meanwhile their position enables the camera to look deep inside as do the long-tongued bees such as the common carder bee. And to these insects the lip and tube are lit like a runway .

Every crimson bell, down-slanted
,Is so utterly enchanted.
Foxgloves ~ Mary Webb

Growing in a rosette, the semi-evergreen leaves are large and woolly to deter predation though several Lepidoptera species manage to munch. Tall stalks emerge from here laden with blossoms that only grow on one side, rather like our native bluebells only hang one side. There are also hairs on the flower lip, presumably to catch pollen brought by visiting insects. They remind me of a fox’s chin though the common name derives more from a multitude of myths including gloves for the sly fox to wear and not be heard when hunting or “folksglove,” in relation to the fairy folk who live around them.

Foxgloves are not notable plants for a Japanese garden but since the fox (Kitsune in Japanese) has such a prominent place in Japanese mythology, perhaps they are quite relevant

The Kitsune (狐) belongs to the yokai family – a family of supernatural Japanese creatures. As a polymorphous animal, it has many different powers, cunning, bewitching, lucky – History of the Kitsune

Not all native Digitalis are purple as the name suggests but can be white or pale lilac with or without spots according the genetic makeup. A multitude of cultivars have also been derived from them and at Chelsea this year, many show gardens featured foxgloves. I’m aiming to purchase some from Chiltern seeds since they can be sown now and planted out in Autumn. Aside from the wild forms I would like to grow D. purpurea ssp. heywoodii, ‘Silver Fox’, a dwarf with downy silvery foliage and white blooms.

Details:

Colour: Varied
Blooms: June-September
Height Up to 1.5m (5′)
Spread 0.5m (18″)

Position: Full Sun/part shade
Soil: humus rich, acid preferably

Hardiness: Hardy