Digitalis, Tropical Foxglove 'Illumination Pink'

This is a sterile hybrid by Charles Valin (of Thompson & Morgan Seeds) who crossed the biennial Digitalis purpurea with the more tender s...Read Morehorter lived D. canariensis. It has become justifiably popular, and was awarded “Best New Plant” at the 2012 Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show.

This will bloom from summer through fall if faded flower stalks are promptly removed.

Where this hybrid is overwintered indoors, it needs a cold period of six weeks or more at 38 to 45 degrees to ensure flowers for the coming season.

The RHS has accepted the reclassification of Isoplexis as Digitalis. The accepted name for the cross formerly referred to as "Digiplexis" is Digitalis x valinii, though some merchants continue to use "Digiplexis". "Digiplexis" and "Illumination" are now proprietary trademarks.

This is a sterile hybrid by Charles Valin who crossed the biennial Digitalis purpurea with the more tender shorter lived D. canariensis. ...Read More

Per http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/the_chelsea_plant_of_the_y...
"Foxglove Illumination Pink has taken the gardening world by storm since its launch in 2012. Unusual blooms, repeat flowering and multiple stems keep this unusual crossbreed high on the Thompson & Morgan best seller list.

But it has left the experts scratching their heads when it comes to classification.

In recognition of the work carried out by Charles Valin in creating this unique cross as part of Thompson & Morgan’s breeding programme,

James Armitage, Principal Scientist of Horticultural Taxonomy at RHS Garden Wisley, has announced Digitalis x valinii as the correct botanical naming convention for all existing and future crosses of D. purpurea and D. canariensis.

He said: “The clever use of island species in the creation of D. x valinii has paid rich dividends.”

Lauded as a revolutionary hybrid by RHS taxonomists, it was felt that a reclassification was needed to distinguish all present and future crosses of the UK native Digitalis purpurea and the exotic D. canariensis, while smoothing out confusion over previous naming conventions for its Canary Island parent.

19th Century taxonomists named the Canary Island foxglove Isoplexis canariensis in 1829, recognising its morphological and behavioural differences compared to others in the Digitalis genus, namely a shrubby and candelabra habit and differences in petal shape and flower positioning on the stem.

Modern studies have since indicated that the two genera should not be treated separately, and in 2012 the RHS recognised all Isoplexis as Digitalis, just as the first commercial cross was launched to the public by Thompson & Morgan.

This reclassification outdated early naming suggestions for Illumination Pink and its sister lines, such as Digiplexis, while Digitalis ‘Illumination Pink’ just didn’t do justice to the work involved in creating it.

It’s common for new cultivars to be named after people, but to have a species named in your honour doesn’t happen very often and was more common in the era of the great plant hunters.

Charles Valin said: “I am humbled and grateful to receive such recognition for my work on Digitalis. Having a plant named after you certainly doesn’t happen every day.”