how long do fox gloves really live
By tanjam420
@tanjam420 (228)
United States
June 17, 2009 8:42pm CST
ok i got 3 foxglove plants last year from a lady at the greehouse that i helped out in and they were almost dead. so i put them in the ground anyway. they really didnt amount to much last year, but this year they are goin out of control.. they are all flowering all of them are different colors. but my question is iknow they are a bi annual plant. so they wont flower next year but how long will they grow and flower before they die off?? i never had these plants before. so i have no idea. i know that some plants dont get flower the first year for instance i had a bleeding heart i grew from a root (bought off the school for a fundraiser) i looked that up and it said it would not flower the first year well i must have dont something right becuse i had beautiful flowers on it the first year, so i am just curiouse how many people actually have grown foxgloves and how long they lived..
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1 response
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
20 Jun 09
I haven't grown foxglove myself, but knew biennials can sometimes fool the novice so I looked it up. This is what I found at http://landscaping.about.com/od/plantsforshadyareas/p/foxglove_plants.htm
Foxglove plants are classified as biennial: leaves form a rosette close to the ground the first year, succeeded by a spike with blooms the second, and final year. But under favorable growing conditions they often last longer, blooming another year or two beyond what their "biennial" status would warrant. In this case, they may be considered herbaceous perennials. Further complicating any positive life-cycle identification for the novice is the fact that foxglove plants often reseed themselves.
In other words don't expect these plants to flower or even come back next year, but never underestimate mother nature. 
@tanjam420 (228)
• United States
23 Jun 09
thanks for the info that is very helpful.. i was just wondering because when i planted them i put them between my rose bushes and they are taking over the flower bed and didnt know if i should try to transplant them farther apart in the fall or spring or not... but i guess we will just have to wait and see what happens.. thank you so much..
