I've got lots of these scattered randomly over a new garden i've just inherited. There are many different sizes, from doughnut to dinner plate. Can you tell me what they are and how i should look after them (if it's advisable to keep them of course) Many Thx MXB
Yes: probably Digitalis purpurea. Millions of 'em of stump ranches (cutover forest lands) east of here.
Beautiful, wonderful Foxgloves. Perhaps cluster some together for a more dramatic look. They transplant very successfully. They are also very prolific, so an idea of how many you want is helpful. They can be a very lovely component as drifts in Perennial beds, though they are mostly biennial, and die back from the main plant after they flower. Usually the common forms are white, cream, pink and purple. Some folk treat them as a weed, and remove them. Their loss.
I'm wondering what native plants they may be displacing on western Washington forest lands. Are the large numbers of Digitalis purpurea there occurring in the abscence of certain native plants in a disrupted ecosystem, or are they displacing them?
