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Since I'm 6-foot-4
I have an affinity for tall flowers. I'm used to looking down at
my flowers, but every now and then, a good, tall spike with
flowers atop is refreshing.
Foxgloves, delphiniums and hollyhocks provide perfect
punctuation points for flowering beds and borders, their candles
of flowers accenting many of our coastal gardens. But of all the
spiky cottage garden favorites, it is the foxglove that stands
alone at the top of the class in local gardens.
A row of delphiniums in full spring bloom is stunning. But all
too often in our gardens, the reality is a short-lived, spindly
and sparse plant — a far cry from the image that most of us
carry in our imaginations of what delphiniums should look like.
The reasons for this divergence — poor seed genetics, clay soil,
lack of a rest season, etc. — are of little consolation.
The thought of blooming hollyhocks may recall fond memories of
earlier gardens. Fond memories are the visions of tall spires of
glorious flowers, each an individual masterpiece of design. In
our gardens though, hollyhock nostalgia often gives way to
disease-infested, top-heavy plants, awkwardly positioned and
seemingly out of place.
Foxgloves, the queen of many flower gardens, can be nearly
effortless.
Plant foxglove transplants now, while green and flowerless, at
the rear of a bed, where they'll make colorful backdrops for
shorter plants. Group them in irregular clusters in the middle
of other beds where they'll anchor lower-growing plantings. For
traditional garden drama, plant an entire bed with a forest of
foxgloves, ready to erupt in spring and summer blooms.
For spring bloom, fall is the time to plant foxgloves from seed.
But most local gardeners don't have the patience to grow plants
from seed anymore. No worries — in my experience, right now is
the perfect time to set out small bedding plant-size foxglove
plants. As spring unfolds, so too will your foxgloves, the
flower spikes growing taller each day with the warming weather.
When selecting plants for your garden it is essential to choose
the right hybrid. If the next couple of weeks find you too
adding some foxglove to your garden, be sure they are the
variety Foxy. Other varieties will take an extra year to bloom.
Not Foxy, which blooms the first year. Often plants in nurseries
and home centers are simply labeled "Foxglove." If you want
flowers this spring, be sure the label says "Foxy." If it
doesn't, keep looking.
Most foxgloves are biennials or short-lived perennials,
producing lush foliage the first year and flowering in
subsequent years. In the case of Foxy, hybridizing has led to a
breakthrough, a variety that blooms the first year. If you've
planted foxglove before, only to have a lush mound of green
foliage, you didn't plant Foxy.
Foxy foxgloves are easy to grow. Set young, green plants from
four-inch pots into soil amended with plenty of organic compost
or planting mix. Along the coast of Orange County, foxgloves
thrive in a variety of exposures, from full sun to moderately
heavy shade. Be sure to keep them well watered. I have found
that flooding the soil under your foxgloves, rather than
overhead watering, will deliver water to the roots more
effectively. Like an umbrella, the big, lush mound of leaves
that foxglove produce often deflects needed water away from the
roots of the plant.
Fertilize as you would for most other garden flowers, being
careful not to allow errant nutrients to wash out of the garden
and into gutters or storm drains. The flower spikes on Foxy are
usually short enough to not require any staking, but if in an
exposed or windy location, small bamboo stakes are usually
adequate.
Cut the bloom stalks off foxgloves as soon as the last flowers
on the spike are spent, but before they set seed. Foxglove
planted now will reward you with flower stalks over a long
period, each with two or three dozen flowers.
Foxglove sometimes gets a rap as poison to children and pets.
Foxglove is poisonous, although recorded poisonings from this
plant are very rare. Even though foxglove is toxic, fresh
foxglove leaves have an acrid, bitter and disagreeable taste,
making it unlikely to be consumed by people or pets.
Nonetheless, young children should be taught never to put plant
parts in their mouths.
Foxglove flowers come in a range of colors, but plants are never
sold by specific color, instead always appearing in a blend of
pastel colors, each flower painted uniquely. Shades of pink,
rose and lavender always dominate the mix, following by cream,
white and the occasional soft yellow.
ASK RON
My stephanotis is looking yellow and less than healthy. Did it
get frost bitten? What can I feed it or do for it to nurse it
back to its lovely green?
GRETCHEN
Newport Beach
Stephanotis are warm-season vines originating from subtropical
Africa at a latitude more equatorial and therefore warmer than
Orange County. The frosty weather of a month ago may have
damaged your plant. Best to wait another month or so, then look
for signs of new growth. Once you see this, then you can trim
off any dead portions and begin fertilizing.
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