Foxgloves in my Garden

Whenever foxgloves grow in my garden,

I think of my childhood.

They were fairy hats,

or dresses for tiny folk.

They were signs of magic, 

always a surprise,

always welcome.

Mysterious.

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.