Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’
Thompson & Morgan are like magicians when it comes to plants.. we breed our own!
So, if we see a plant that is short-changing gardeners, perhaps only flowering for a fleeting moment, then we can step in and make some slight adjustments!
There’s no better example than with star of Chelsea Flower Show 2012, Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’. This incredible plant rights all the wrongs usually associated with foxgloves.
Firstly, ‘Illumination Pink’ flowers for SIX months without a break.. usual foxgloves can only give a month worth of flowers. Secondly, it is hardy… usual digitalis are biennials, and die out after flowering. Lastly, the colours are rare and you won’t ever have seen them before; think mangos, strawberries, papaya!
After winning Best New Plant at Chelsea Flower Show 2012, our customers couldn’t get enough of this ever border perennial, we sold out out in days.
Foxglove ‘Chelsea Gold’
Order your plants now for flowering THIS summer, but be quick though, we expect demand to be high. Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’ continues to be the UK’s most in demand plant, and this year it’s available in new ‘Chelsea Gold’ colour too.
Look out for me at facebook.com/planthunter.uk or follow me on twitter @gardening_greek, where I’m posting information on new plants daily.
Digitalis species are certainly poisonous, causing a potentially fatal slowing of the heart rate if consumed. However Digitalis is also an emetic, therefore consuming any quantity of the plant would cause severe vomiting thus removing the cardiac toxins from the body before causing a serious effect. In the case of ‘Illumination Pink’, this is actually a hybrid known as Digiplexis, and not a true Digitalis so it is difficult to confirm whether this plant would have exactly the same effects without trying it – and I don’t fancy undertaking this experiment myself! The likelihood of animals and children seeking out a plant and then ‘tucking in’ to it is extremely low, not least because it wouldn’t taste particularly pleasant if they did. Of course there are always exceptions but in general most plants can still be grown around children and animals provided that children are supervised and a little common sense is used when choosing where to site them. I hope that helps
Hi, could you please let me know if Foxglove illumination pink is suitable for a garden with pets and small children,thank
I haven’t cut the old flower spikes of my illumination pinks – should I do that asap or wait?
Hello Gaynor, thank you for your comment. Andrew Tokely advises cutting them back in mid-March once the weather (finally) improves. New growth should start to appear from lower down. I hope this helps. Kind regards, Rebecca.
Many thanks – that’s good to know.
Can you tell me if my illumination pinks need to be pruned, or, do I just leave them to die back. Thanks
Hi Graham, you can cut the old flower spikes off, but leave the main pant in the ground/container. A dry mulch of straw or bracken will give them some winter protection. I hope this helps.
I have purchased 6 Digitalis Illumination plugs which are doing well & I am ready to move them on into containers. What size container would you suggest for these plants?
Good morning, thanks for your comment. I’m pleased to hear your digitalis plugs are doing well. I’ve just spoken to one of our horticulturists and she recommends using a pot with about 30cm diameter and depth for good root growth. When growing perennials it’s best to use a loam-based potting compost such as John Innes No.3. I hope this helps. Best wishes, Rebecca
I always find Michael Perry’s posts very informative and interesting. He has shown some beautiful plants,