Digitalis (digitalis) is a surprisingly decorative plant with elegant leaves, as well as flowers of various shades that resemble bells in shape. It’s easy to care for digitalis, and it decorates the flower garden unusually.

Digitalis: Description of Species and Varieties

In the gardens and flowerbeds bred various types and varieties of digitalis. Combines their beautiful appearance and delicate aroma.

  1. Digitalis purpurea. Perennial. Tall plant reaches 1.5 m in height. In nature, grows in Europe. Flowers can have various shades from white to carmine. The most famous varieties: “Shirley”, “Excelsior”, “Peloric”, “Pink Champagne”.
  2. Digitalis is large-flowered. It grows everywhere in Europe, and in Russia it can be found from the southern coast to Siberia. The height is less than 1.2 m. The flowers are yellow, slightly pubescent, inside the corollas there are streaks of brown color.
  3. Digitalis is rusty. Despite such a strange name, it is a very attractive plant. Height can be different - from 0.7 to 2 m. The flowers are medium-sized (up to 4 cm), shades - from pale yellow to brownish. Their veins are purple or dark red. Long flowering.
  4. Digitalis is woolly. It is rather a medicinal plant than a decorative flower. It grows in nature in Moldova. Single flower stalk, small, brown flowers. Pubescence pronounced.
  5. Digitalis yellow. It grows in southern Europe. It can reach 1 m in height. Flowers have a variety of yellow shades, their size is up to 2.5 cm. The most popular variety is Gelb Janus.

There are other types of digitalis and a variety of hybrids, but they are found in the collection of flower growers much less often than the aforementioned.

Poisonous or not digitalis? Yes, poisonous. But this does not mean at all that under the guise of a beautiful flower a dangerous monster has settled in your garden. Just after reading about the medicinal properties of the plant, you should not independently prepare medicines from it - leave it to pharmacists.

Digitalis Growing from Seeds

Growing from the seeds of this plant is not particularly difficult. You can buy seed of your favorite varieties in flower shops. They are planted in seedlings in the first month of spring. In order for friendly shoots to appear faster, the seeds are soaked for several days in water at room temperature. If some of the seeds do not sink, but stubbornly remain on the surface - they are not of high quality. They can be drained with water.

For planting use boxes for seedlings or individual cups and any soil for flowers, which is sold in a specialized store.

  1. Digitalis seeds do not need to be deeply embedded in the ground, they are only slightly sprinkled with earth.
  2. Then the box is covered with glass or film and left in a warm room. It is advisable that bright sunlight not fall on it throughout the day.
  3. Shoots appear up to 14 days. After that, the coating from the box is removed.

They take care of digitalis seedlings, like any other. Planted when the plants appear real leaves. It is best to drop them in separate cups. In the box, between the young digitalis, the distance should be about 10 cm. Before planting in the open ground, it is advisable to harden the plants, taking them out to the glassed-in balcony or to the open air during the day.

Planting in open ground

Digitalis does not like frost, so it is planted in the flower garden when the cold finally recedes. This usually happens in the last decade of May, or in the first of June.

It is advisable to choose a sunny, or at least not too shaded place. It is important to remember that digitalis is a perennial plant, so it is not recommended to plant it next to trees that will fall asleep in the fall. In this case, the flower may become ill, because pests often nest in old leaves. In addition, this contributes to the accumulation of moisture in the soil.

  1. Before landing, the site is dug up. It is good if it is possible to add humus or manure to the soil (up to 5 kg per 1 m²).
  2. Wells for plants are prepared at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. Their size should be such that the entire root system of the flower fits.
  3. Digitalis is best planted using the “transshipment” method. That is, to transfer each plant to a new place together with a lump of earth, without first cleaning the root system from the soil.
  4. After planting, the soil is compacted, new settlers are watered.

It should be remembered that in the first year, young digitalis will not bloom. The plant will please you with flowers only in the second year of life.

Care Features

It’s easy to take care of digitalis.

  • It does not require abundant watering, and if the summer is relatively rainy, you can not take up a watering can or hose at all. In the hot period, water moderately.
  • Weeds are removed, the soil is slightly loosened from time to time.
  • Digitalis is fed with mineral fertilizers diluted in water in the right ratio (according to the instructions on the package), a couple of times during the warm season.
  • Before the onset of winter, flower stalks are pruned. Digitalis, especially young, it is advisable to hide in anticipation of cold weather. For this purpose, sawdust, spruce branches, foliage are used. You can sprinkle additional soil.

If the plant is already 2 years old or more, and it is blooming, dried flowers are carefully removed so that the digitalis retains its decorative appearance.

If necessary, this plant quite easily transfers the transplant from place to place. It is important only to dig a hole of a sufficient size and not damage the roots.

How to propagate a herbaceous plant

Seedling propagation has already been discussed, but digitalis seeds can also be planted in open ground.This is done in early May, when the soil has already warmed up.

  1. Seeds are planted at a distance of 15 cm from each other (can be glued to strips of paper).
  2. They are lightly sprinkled with earth, literally “crushed”.
  3. If frost occurs, the bed is covered with a film.
  4. Seedlings will have to wait 10 to 14 days.
  5. If the plantings are thickened, they are thinned out, removing weaker plants.

Digitalis can also be propagated using basal processes. To do this, after flowering, cut the peduncles. A few weeks later, basal rosettes form at their bases, and later leaves begin to form on them. When their number approaches ten, rosettes are separated from the mother plant and planted in the ground. Next year, young plants will bloom.

Pest and Disease Control

The unpretentious digitalis, however, is susceptible to a number of diseases.

  1. If digitalis is affected by leaf spotting, fungicidal preparations that contain copper in their composition should be used.
  2. Root rot? In this case, the plant is better to dig and discard. It is impossible to cure him.
  3. Digitalis can also be affected by powdery mildew.
  4. Of the pests, the aphid plant, nematodes and some types of moths destroy.

Drugs that can be used to cope with this scourge are sold in specialized stores.

Use in landscape design

Digitalis is a very beautiful plant. A relatively large height, allows you to use it in the background of flower beds, planted along walls and fences.

You can achieve the flowering of digitalis already in April, if at the beginning of autumn the plant is transplanted into a pot and kept indoors during the winter, where the temperature fluctuates between +12 - 13ºС.

Digitalis will look beautiful next to jasmine (chubushnik), flowering bushes of viburnum, honeysuckle. Of the flowers, roses, primrose, aquilegia, peonies and hosts are suitable as neighbors. Digitalis cut flowers look good in bouquets and stand in vases for a long time, decorating the room.

Here is such an amazing digitalis flower - beautiful and unpretentious, healing and durable, it can become a real gem of your garden.

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