They are poisonous, they are magnificent ornamental plants in the bed and they are easy to care for - the foxgloves. But do you have to sow them every two years or do they last longer?
Is foxglove perennial or biennial?
Most foxgloves are biennial, meaning they bloom in the second year of their life cycle and then die back. However, by cutting off the flower stems after flowering, some species can be grown as perennials, with an average lifespan of three years.
What is life like for Foxglove?
In its first year of life it forms a rosette of leaves. The ignorant often confuse this with a weed because no flowers appear and are therefore quickly removed.
But we have to wait. The hardy foxglove shoots up a long, candle-like stem in its second year of life. This is where its flowers are located. The seeds emerge in autumn.
Both in the first and second year (and possibly subsequent years) - the foxglove is poisonous. Sometimes it seems like he lives for years. But the fallacy: it likes to sow itself and for this reason it appears to be extremely long-lived.
Intervening in life expectancy
There is a trick to getting a perennial foxglove. As soon as the flowers have faded in the second year, they should be cut off. The result is that flowers form again in the third year. However, this bloom is usually sparser.
If this procedure is omitted, the foxglove is usually unwilling to appear again. As soon as winter approaches, it dies. It has no reason to bloom again. It has already fulfilled its task (multiplying) by producing its seeds.
Biennial or perennial – foxglove species
There are numerous species of foxgloves. They differ, among other things, in their life expectancy. Most species such as the red foxglove are naturally biennial. Very few species are perennial. But what they all have in common is that they wither away after an average of 3 years.
Foxglove species are listed here that are biennial but can be grown as perennials (by cutting off the flower stems):
- Yellow Foxglove
- Large-flowered Foxglove
- Woolly Foxglove
- Rust Foxglove
- Dark Foxglove
- Small-flowered Foxglove
- Turkish Foxglove
Tips & Tricks
Open your eyes: Garden centers and hardware stores sometimes sell flowering foxglove plants in summer. If you want to enjoy these plants for a long time, don't buy them, just sow them. They quickly fade and can be disposed of.
