From our perspective as Foxglove plants (Digitalis purpurea), we are majestic biennials or short-lived perennials that strive to reach for the sun with our towering flower spikes. However, our height, often reaching 5 to 6 feet, combined with the weight of our countless bell-shaped flowers, makes our stems vulnerable to the elements. We appreciate your desire to help us stand tall and proud; it allows us to display our blooms to pollinators and complete our life cycle successfully. Here is how you can support us from our point of view.
Please understand that waiting until we are already leaning or struggling is stressful for us. A bent stem can kink our vascular system, the crucial pipeline that transports water and nutrients from our roots to our flowers. This can lead to wilting, premature dropping of blooms, and a significant waste of the energy we worked so hard to store. By providing support early, you work with our natural growth pattern, allowing us to grow strong and straight without any emergency interventions that might damage our delicate stems or root systems.
We need support that is sturdy yet gentle. Sharp, thin wires can cut into our soft, green stems as we grow and sway. We much prefer supports with a wider surface area. For individual spikes, a tall, straight bamboo cane or a rustic branch pushed firmly into the soil near our main stem is ideal. Please tie us loosely using soft, stretchy plant ties, cloth strips, or even velcro ties. Always form a figure-eight pattern, with one loop around the support and one around our stem, to prevent chafing. For a group of us, a grow-through support, like a peony ring or a grid of stakes and twine, is excellent. It allows our multiple stems to grow up through the openings, which will naturally support us as we gain height.
The best time to install your chosen support system is in our first year, during our vegetative rosette stage, or very early in our second year as our flower spike begins to emerge. At this point, our root system is established enough to handle a stake being inserted into the soil nearby without causing significant disturbance. More importantly, you can position the support so that we grow through it or alongside it from the beginning. This method is far superior to trying to corral a fully grown, floppy stem later in the season, which often leads to breakage.
While physical support is crucial, you can also help us build our own inherent strength. Please plant us in a location that receives full sun to partial shade. In too much shade, we will stretch and become lanky as we desperately search for light, resulting in weaker stems. Ensure our soil is well-draining but consistently moist, and provide a balanced, slow-release fertilizer at the start of our growing season. Strong roots and healthy growth from adequate resources directly contribute to sturdier stems that are better able to hold themselves up against the wind and the weight of our own magnificent flowers.
