Foxgloves For Cut Flowers

Cut flower bed ready for planting

The four beds in the nursery area have been prepared for planting and one of them is to be used for the plants that will provide cut flowers next spring-summer. The plants to be used were grown from seed sown at the end of July, see blog entry 31st July 'Sowing Seeds For Winter-Spring 2018/19', and pricked out at the beginning of September, they are Dianthus barbatus 'Dash Crimson' (Sweet William); Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Creme'; Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White'; 'Digitalis purpurea 'Alba' (Foxglove); Erysimum cheiri 'Giant Pink' and Erysimum cheiri 'Blood Red Covent Garden' (Wallflower). In previous years the cut flower bed has contained four rows of sweet william and rows of tulips and daffodils but, following a recent visit to the gardens of Eythrope in Buckinghamshire, the planting has been changed. Inspired by their beds, and the use of foxgloves as a cut flower, the decision was made to use some of the seed grown plants in the college's cut flower bed. Three rows of foxgloves have been planted for their tall spikes, creme with burgundy spots, white with plum freckling and pure white respectively. 

Planted