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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Foxgloves

 
 
 
When we stopped our hyper-vigilant trimming, we discovered we had foxgloves.  They've likely been there for years, planted by a former owner.
 
 
Our trimming has decreased as we've become comfortable with a wilder look at the edges of our property.  The rewards are foxgloves (not many), but if we leave them alone, allow them to set seed, perhaps we'll have more every second year.  Foxgloves are biennials, little troubled by pests and deer.
 
 
Foxgloves botanical name Digitalis comes from the Latin digitus, meaning "finger."  Each tubular flower is shaped somewhat like the finger of a glove.  Ours bloom in a purplish pink with spotted throats and last for several weeks.
 
 
 Sometimes, leaving the yard to itself creates surprising beauty.

10 comments:

Margie said...

Have not seen a foxglove in a long time!
So beautiful, I can imagine you must have a beautiful yard :)

Jane Tims said...

Hi. Nice surprise! My yard surprise this year is - I finally got a few hazelnuts ahead of the squirrels. I only picked two and left some for them. Two years of vigilance paid off!! Jane

Gwen Buchanan said...

This is such a lovely post. and foxgloves are so beautiful and graceful.

Rambling Woods said...

I wasn't familiar with it... Very pretty...

shoreacres said...

I'm not sure if we have foxglove or not. I think perhaps we do, but I don't think I've ever seen it.

I'm curious about the scientific name - digitalis. Isn't that the name of a medication for heart conditions? I wonder if it's derived from the plant? I'm going to have to go snoop around.

Carol Steel said...

Thanks Margie. Out yard is beautiful and wild looking. I don't post photos of the messy parts so there is an illusion that the whole place is beautiful when it isn't.

Carol Steel said...

Hi Jane,
Yes, a nice surprise. Getting ahead of squirrels is no mean feat. Congratulations.

Carol Steel said...

Thank you Gwen. I appreciate the posts you make of the gardens and scenery around your place. You live in such a magical spot.

Carol Steel said...

Hi Michele,
The foxgloves we have found here are biennials and have not bloomed consistently even then. So they are always surprises and gifts when they appear.

Carol Steel said...

Hello Linda,

Yes, foxglove is the pharmaceutical source of the heart medicine digitalis. The plant itself is quite poisonous if not handled properly by a person who knows how to do it.