Foxgloves for the South

When would the best time to plant foxgloves in southern gardens? I know some of our southern friends would like to grow them but I'm not sure when they'd be best to plant. I'm thinking late summer and allowed to go through the mild winter and hopefully bloom in spring? Maybe it would be better to plant them in winter and hope they'd bloom as an annual? Are there varieties better suited to southern gardens?

The variety 'Foxy' is suppose to bloom 5 months from sprouting. You are to treat them as an annual. They will reseed themselves. I am trying them this year for the first time. Had very, very good germination.

This message was edited Wednesday, Jun 20th 8:18 PM

How far south is south? That's not a flippant question....I'm in Tennessee, which most people who hear me talk (tawlk) would definitely say is "South" :)

But I'm in zone 6, and we get enough winter to definitely qualify for inclusion in this zone.

I planted D. mertonensis (Strawberry Foxglove) this year, as it's supposed to be a true perennial, not a biennial. I got a bit of a late start, so it didn't bloom this year (sources say it can bloom the first year if started early enough), but it sure is putting out plenty of good looking basal foliage. Hoping for blooms next year!

I grow foxy as an annual. They are just finishing up blooming and if I cut them back, they might bloom again. They always reseed really good for me. I also have D. Grandiflora Apricot that reseeds pretty good for me. It comes up in the summer and blooms the following year.
Vols
If you get the D. Mertonensis to do good,LMK, I've never gotten it to make it thru a winter here.
Calalily

Really, Cala? Eeek. Everything I read said it was hardy Zones 5-8. I've got it in a protected area with partial shade. I had hoped it would bloom this year, but I knew it was probably expecting too much for the first year.

I really hope it makes it....I'll keep you posted.

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MzM I bet if you planted some in mid to late summer they'd bloom in March for you. Baa mentioned that some of the other species like d.ferringuinea would be good a choice for the South. I'll check my seedbox ... I'm sure I have some seeds from that one. It tends to live 3 or 4 years for me here and re-seeds a lot so I always have some that will bloom.

This message was edited Thursday, Jun 21st 5:21 PM

I've been trading and selling seeds and plants for a few years but only recently extended out of the UK. I'm always so disappointed that you all get to see the fruits of your labours much sooner than we do here. Late May to early July are foxglove flowering seasons here, March we still have snowdrops LOL.

The brown and yellow foxgloves are usually more drought tolerant than D. purpurea and are barely grown for some unknown reason. I hope to have masses of seed this year, I got lazy last year and lost a few 'gloves over the wet winter.

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MzM

There are many advantages to gardening in the UK and Ireland but one of them isn't length of the Winter season LOL.

very true baa, we only get two weeks of summer too!!

lil

Lilith

I live in a very different part of the UK LOL we get at least 5 months of summer here in the sunny south. 90 degrees today. Winter is mild and rarely gets below freezing and frankly I'm always amazed at what does survive over the winter. What we do have however is a very long Spring and May is a months when the garden rarely blooms which is always disappointing.