I've grown foxglove from seed for about three years now. They seem to reseed well in one area, and I get new baby plants each year. In another area, however, they have formed two large clumps. I am guessing I should divide these (yay, free plants!), but have seen conflicting information on when and how to do it. It is May 1st, and they are green, but not budding yet. Should I wait until after blooming? I'm concerned that the baby plants may be too crowded to bloom well. Any suggestions?
You should be fine moving it. I moved mine from one house to another last year and I moved some that I grew from seed last year, this year. edited to add if you're afraid of disturbing the babies move them when they get a little bigger. Foxglove is a wonderful forgiving plant.
This message was edited May 1, 2011 9:45 PM
I would separate/move them now before they start blooming. They will thrive better with more room. I would think they would bloom more too.
Well, I did it. The first clump seemed hard to separate and keep any roots, so I don't know how well they will do. The other clump had good roots. I'll see how they do!
Two days post-division, and 90 percent of them look rather dead. I gave them a drink, even though it has been cool and damp until today. Hopefully they will perk up. Wondering if I should have used some root-tone on them?
Cut the foliage back. That way the plant can concentrate on forming roots. Then once established they should start putting new growth out. They might bloom later than usual now. Don't worry they are pretty hardy plants and should spring back. Just don't drown them.
Thanks, I'll give it a shot. They actually looked a little better this morning, at least half of them did.
