Perennial and annual varieties

How is life from the thimble?

In the first year of his life he forms one Leaf rosette the end. This is often confused with weeds by the ignorant, since no flowers appear, and is quickly removed as a result.

But waiting is the order of the day. Of the hardy foxglove lets a long, candle-like stem shoot up in the second year of life. Here are its flowers. The seeds develop 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 extremely long-lived.

Intervene in life expectancy

To a perennial thimble to get there is a trick. As soon as the flowers have faded in the second year, they should cut off will. The result is that in the third year flowers will start to form again. However, this flower pile is usually sparse.

If this procedure is omitted, the thimble is usually unwilling to appear again. As soon as winter approaches, it dies. There is no longer any reason to bloom again. He has already fulfilled his task (the multiplication) with the formation of his seeds.

Biennial or perennial - foxglove species

There are numerous Foxglove species. They differ among others in their life expectancy. Most species like the red foxglove are naturally biennial. Very few species are perennial. But they all have in common that they wither after an average of 3 years.

Listed here are foxglove species that are biennial but can be grown for several years (by cutting off the flower stalks):

• Yellow thimble
• Large-flowered foxglove
• Woolly thimble
• Rust-colored thimble
• Dark thimble
• Small-flowered foxglove
• Turkish thimble

Tips & Tricks

Keep your eyes peeled: in summer, nurseries and hardware stores sometimes offer flowering foxglove plants. If you want to enjoy these plants for a long time, do not buy them, but sow them out. They quickly fade and can be disposed of.