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01.08.2023 - 14:51 / gardenerstips.co.uk / tejvan
Foxgloves are native to the British isles and can be grown relatively easy here in the UK. They provide an excellent addition to any cottage garden. There distinctive spikes of flowers can be up to 4-5 feet high and they offer a new dimension to any garden. They also attract bees for their extensive nectar.
Foxgloves are poisonous so be careful if you have kids in the garden. The good thing is that slugs don’t seem to like them much either. Parts of the Foxglove are actually used as digoxin a widely used heart drug.
One problem of foxgloves is that the tall varieties can get blown over in windy conditions. Try to plant is sheltered spots; they grow well in clumps together.
The most common variety is D. Purpurea which can be seen growing in British hedgerows. In addition there are cultivated varieties such as ‘Apricot’ and white varieties. There are also dwarf varieties of foxglove such as ‘Temple Bells’ or Primrose carousel’You can acquire new plants or just admire them as part of a collection
Digitalis Grandiflora (yellow foxglove is a hardy perennial flowering foxglove.)
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Lovely climbing rose on the front of this house
Mother’s day in the UK is fast approaching. If you have a habit of forgetting until the last minute, you can always rely on a bunch of flowers to save the day. But, rather than just a standard bunch of daffodils from the petrol station, what else would make your mother really happy and inspired to bake you more cakes?
This is one of the many books in my collection but the only one to focus on growing big, bigger and biggest vegetables. If you want to grow giant vegetable for exhibition or to get large crops then there are many pointers in ‘How to Grow Giant Vegetables’ by Bernard Lavery and below.