Digitalis Purpurea

mandyroberts99

I had one of my beds designed and planted and against the back wall were Foxgloves. I innocently weeded the seedling the first year and then realised my mistake. There were a few survivors so last year I left everything along the back until I knew for sure it was a weed and now have full ground cover of Foxgloves.

Should I thin them out, now or wait till April when the worse of the frosts will be over. 
If I do thin them out, what space should I leave between them

Just leave them to fight it out?

batwood14

Hi Mandy -don't thin them out now in case some don't take - better to leave and see what comes through or survives. You can always give some away. I managed to pot up 40 seedlings from last year so going to have a mass of them which I can't wait.

Pete.8

I also get masses of self seeded foxgloves and I sow white ones for one border.
They get to be big plants sometimes up to to 6-7ft, so I'd leave at least 2-3ft between plants.
I have left them to fight it out but generally the plants are stunted, some don't flower and they can look a bit of a mess.

mandyroberts99

Pete.8 said:

I also get masses of self seeded foxgloves and I sow white ones for one border.
They get to be big plants sometimes up to to 6-7ft, so I'd leave at least 2-3ft between plants.
I have left them to fight it out but generally the plants are stunted, some don't flower and they can look a bit of a mess.

Thanks, I will thin a bit now so there is a couple of inches between plants and then thin in the spring when I see if the frost has killed some