Description
The common foxglove is a biennial of the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). It comes from Europe.
A single thick stem grows up to 150 cm tall. Its upper part is covered with dense fine hairs. At ground level it has a rosette of basal leaves, and the stem is also clothed with alternate leaves. The leaves are large, up to 25 cm long, sharply toothed and with prominent veins. The stem leaves are stalkless and softly downy underneath. In the upper part of the stem the flowers form a one-sided raceme. The large, nodding flowers on short, glandular-hairy stalks are purplish-red with darker spots inside. The tubular, bell-shaped corolla is hairy inside. The five-lobed calyx is fused only slightly at the base. Each flower has one pistil with a long, thin style and 4 stamens – two longer and two shorter.
Requirements
It grows in average, well-cultivated soils that are not too heavy or wet, in a sunny or lightly shaded position.
Propagation
It is propagated by seed sown in a cold frame in May. After germination, the seedlings are thinned or pricked out into beds outdoors. The plants are planted in their final position in August or, preferably, in spring of the following year, at 30 x 20 cm or 40 x 30 cm.