Wintersowing foxgloves????

I need advice on sowing my Pam's Choice foxgloves. Do I wintersow now? Wait until early spring and use an indoor set-up? Or is it best to direct sow where they will grow? This is my first time for sowing biennials. Someone with good advice please respond
Thanks
Veronica

Hi Veronica,

I've winter sown foxgloves a number of times and gotten great results. I always start mine end of January/early February, when our lows are in the high 30's to low forties and our highs are in the low to mid fifties. They always germinate between 14 and 21 days. (Last year, I sowed both "Pam's Choice" and "Glittering Prizes" on Jan 27; the Pam's came up on Feb 10, and the Glittering came up on Feb 12.) -I guess that this would be like early spring sowing, in your climate.

Hope that helps,
Susan

Thanks Susan
I will wait until tomorrow and do the sowing as today is very windy and the temps are way above normal. Do yours wait until the following year to bloom? I realize there is a huge zone difference, But I am an anxious person.

Hi Veronica,

Yes, they don't bloom until the following year, but they are definitely worth the wait! The one exception is 'Foxy' Foxglove, which will bloom the first year. It's a short one though, and I prefer the fancy tall ones, like 'Pam's Choice', 'Glittering Prizes' and the 'Camelot' series. One I will be sowing this year and am very excited about is 'Pink Champagne'. It has creamy yellow and pink flowers, silver leaves, and it is perennial! -Check it out.

http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=0821&PrevMainPage=advsearchresults&scChannel=advsearchresults&SearchText=p16.v229;p4.v8&OfferCode=V1H

Hi Veronica

I had great success wintersowing Foxglove. And when they blossom, they make LOTS of seeds, some of which you can let self-sow (and there will be lots!) and some you can collect to share, or winter sow. You can also "summer-sow" foxglove - this will count as their first year. In early fall, plant them where you want them to bloom the following summer. :-)

Cheers,
Michaela

Foxgloves wintersow exceptionally well. After blooming, as seeds mature, I pick some pods and sprinkle seeds where I want them to grow. The seedlings come up in summer, tend to stay mostly evergreen through winter for me, then bloom the following year. Once you get them going you can probably have them forever.

Karen

I got little fellows sowed....Wish I had known they would be so small. I think I lost some of them as I mistakenly cut the package on both ends and they fell out on the cabinet. I scraped them up and put in a shaker with some corn meal [that is the way we sow lettuce, well without the shaker]then sowed them. If I get 2 p 3 plants I will be very happy. Next time I'll certainly know better.
Veronica

I am sure you will get lots :-)