Digitalis

Digitalis is a plant grown for decorative purposes. Its stems with blossoming flowers sometimes reach a height of 1.5 m and become a truly real decoration of the garden. But this plant has its own characteristics. Experts strongly do not recommend growing it to those families in which there are children and pets, because it is poisonous!

Digitalis: growing and care

This ornamental plant propagates through seeds that can be harvested by yourself, or you can buy them in a store. The foxglove seeds are extremely small, so they can not be planted deep in the ground, and after the planting process should be watered very carefully, so as not to wash out. More often, all the seeds are planted in the soil in the month of May, it is possible earlier, but only on condition that the land is protected. Often planted digitalis in special trays, and the top is covered with plastic wrap.

Immediately before planting should pick up a place and prepare the ground. The plant is no different whimsical, but he does not like to grow under deciduous trees. In the fall, foliage begins to fall from them, and this negatively affects the development of the flower and may even lead to its death.

The main requirement for priming for planting digitalis is good drainage. If water stagnates in the ground, the flower will die. The soil before the process of planting should be carefully loosened. For further growth and development of the flower, it can be fertilized fertilizer with potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Seeds should be sown from the consumption: 1 g per 1 square. m. of soil. The shoots will be thick, they will need to pass through. As the seedlings grow, it will need to be thinned again. For a permanent place foxglove can be planted in the month of August. The distance of the bushes from each other should be at least 40 cm. It is better not to plant them closer, otherwise they will not grow big, tall and will not richly bloom.

In the first year of planting a flower plant, you can not wait, because at this time only deciduous system is formed. By the way, the size of flowering in subsequent years will depend on its size. But it is possible to grow a plant not only by planting seeds, some species of adult plants start root shoots, which can be planted from each other, until the flower stalks are tied onto them.

Growing a plant such as foxglove is a very easy process, it needs to be watered regularly, but not too plentifully, so that water does not stagnate. Land need to weed from the weeds. You can flower and feed, well suited fertilizers, which include in its composition of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. This should be done once, repeated during the flowering period of the plant.

The time of flowering of foxglove can be prolonged, for this the faded flower is removed, soon the plant will give a new one. But you need to know that the repeated bud will be smaller in size, and the flowers themselves will be smaller.

In order not to buy seeds in the next season, they can be collected from already growing plants. This can be done a month after the end of the flowering period. The collection period itself can be determined on the basis of the appearance of the seed box. After ripening, they become yellow or brown (it depends on the plant variety).

Ripe fruits should be separated from the stem and dried. The best seeds are located in boxes at the bottom of the peduncle. If you miss the moment from ripening before the plant opens the boxes on its own, the seeds can get enough sleep.

How to grow purple foxglove?

• This plant came to us from the Mediterranean, Central and Southern Europe. This flower is a perennial. Its stem is simple, straight, not very branchy. The leaves are located on long petioles, the upper ones are sessile, velvety from above, and felt from below.
• This plant attracts views with its pyramidal inflorescences, which are formed from a variety of flowers of cream, purple, white, pink and carmine flowers, as well as purple spots, which are located on the corolla, from the inside. Also inside the corolla is covered with short hairs.
• The purple foxglove has been cultivated since ancient times. In addition to the decorative function, it has healing properties. But it is necessary to use it in accordance with the instructions, because you should not forget that it is poisonous!
• In the care of this type of plant, like others, not whimsical. It is well adapted to winter frosts and tolerates drought well. Even in the shade, he does not lose his ability to bloom. Purple foxglove likes a warm and moist soil. The composition of the soil does not impose special requirements, if only the acidity was not high.
• It propagates by seeds. To do this, at the end of flowering, seed boxes should be collected, only those that are located at the bottom of the peduncle should be selected. At the end of June, it is necessary to sow the seeds of purple foxglove, but not deeply, on a plot that has been dug up and fertilized with manure. Water the site should be every day. To seedlings grew healthy, it should be periodically thinned out. In the autumn, after the seedlings grow, they should be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.

Digitalis is a very beautiful plant that does not require special care. She will decorate any garden. Planting it is not at all difficult, and the next steps in caring for the flower are simple. The only thing worth remembering about elementary security is that the foxglove is very poisonous!