I've found a jam-jar with some foxglove seed in, from last year. What's
my best bet for growing plants from the seed? I have an empty room in
the house, if that's of any use, with south-facing French Windows. This
room is not directly heated. Should I use some sort of bought compost
or compound to sow them in trays? Inside, outside? I have no idea what
the best contitions might be, but I'm very keen to give these the best
chance I can. Any ideas?

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...
: I've found a jam-jar with some foxglove seed in, from last year. What's
: my best bet for growing plants from the seed? I have an empty room in
: the house, if that's of any use, with south-facing French Windows. This
: room is not directly heated. Should I use some sort of bought compost
: or compound to sow them in trays? Inside, outside? I have no idea what
: the best contitions might be, but I'm very keen to give these the best
: chance I can. Any idea

I usually throw them on the soil and let them sort themselves out. You can
always thin or transplant as required

Chris Bacon wrote:

I've found a jam-jar with some foxglove seed in, from last year. What's
my best bet for growing plants from the seed? I have an empty room in
the house, if that's of any use, with south-facing French Windows. This
room is not directly heated. Should I use some sort of bought compost
or compound to sow them in trays? Inside, outside? I have no idea what
the best contitions might be, but I'm very keen to give these the best
chance I can. Any ideas?

Throw some (a small amount) where you want them to grow and hoe out the
surplus.

It is almost impossible to grow foxgloves and not have more than enough
self seeded plants the following year to qualify as a minor weed. But
because they are biennial it is much less of a problem.

If you can't grown foxgloves you should give up on gardening!

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote:
I've found a jam-jar with some foxglove seed in, from last year. What's
my best bet for growing plants from the seed? I have an empty room in
the house, if that's of any use, with south-facing French Windows. This
room is not directly heated. Should I use some sort of bought compost
or compound to sow them in trays? Inside, outside? I have no idea what
the best contitions might be, but I'm very keen to give these the best
chance I can. Any ideas?

Throw some (a small amount) where you want them to grow and hoe out the
surplus.

Thank you, various. I am most *particularly* interested in getting a
good result from these - I could, as you all intimate, just "throw
down the seed" - however, would any preparation help? I know of a
place where foxgloves grow - perhaps I should weed out any growing
there, and scatter some of last year's seeds where these were growing?
Should I do anything other than throw them down upon the hard ground?

Thank you, various. I am most *particularly* interested in getting a
good result from these - I could, as you all intimate, just "throw
down the seed" - however, would any preparation help? I know of a
place where foxgloves grow - perhaps I should weed out any growing
there, and scatter some of last year's seeds where these were growing?


I assume that you're interested in a specific form of foxgloves,
rather than the ones that are already growing there? The first warning
should be that the common foxglove is a biennial, so any seed you plant
this year won't flower this year, but in a years time. Secondly, my
experience is that foxgloves are something of a law unto themselves.
they seem to grow where they want to and not elsewhere. They certainly
don't like it too dry - but the soil can be poor to non-existant without
upsetting them. They cope with some shade - but in deep shade
they don't prosper and won't flower. As Janet says, they are the
easiest plants to grow - but only where they want to grow.

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from Chris Bacon contains these words:
[...]
Should I do anything other than throw them down upon the hard ground?

Just scratch over the soil surface lightly. Scatter your seed very
thinly, and gently tread over the soil or pat it with your hands, to
press them down. No need to cover them. They really are one of the
easiest plants to grow from seed.

A mere teaspoon of seed would produce a thousand plants, so you
probably have enough to try scattering a pinch in several different
locations.

A good way to scatter foxglove, and mullein, seed is to put them on the
palm of your hand and blow. (If any lodge in the whiskers, they'll drop
out later on in another part of the garden, and are sure to come up
right where you don't want them!)

I second the amendment about foxgloves being unpredictably choosy: I've
scattered them in quantities measurable in fluid ounces, and always
been surprised.

It may be worth throwing in a comment about my experience with mulleins,
which I mentioned just now. Like many plants with tiny seeds, they're
very weak competitors at the seedling stage: you must give them
newly-broken soil and watch out for rivals. On the other hand, the seed
is extremely viable when it's still barely matu again like many
others, it will germinate at once if you catch it before it's ripened
into dormancy. Indoor autumn sowing results in an interesting management
problem. Now somebody please tell me how to keep the mullein moth off:
I've had to resort to constant hand-picking.

--
Mike.

I've uploaded some pictures of "the foxglove" in case anyone'd like
to look/pass comment. Go to:

http://community.webshots.com/user/raspberryblower

and look in the "Foxgloves" album.

This may go straight the

http://community.webshots.com/album/548313231BbNPQB