Plant biennial foxglove, but don't eat it

I have solved the problem.

An alarming statistic was quoted on TV recently about the percentage of Americans who are overweight. If you are among them, don't fret about weight-loss programs, special foods, exercise, etc. I have the answer.

Don't cook anything good.

Then, after you have partially and meagerly eaten an unsatisfactory meal, go work in your yard. It's a win-win; why didn't someone think of this sooner?

Instead of cooking good stuff and eating, now you can be planting foxglove.

Foxglove has been around a long time, but not enough of us add it to our gardens. That may be because it is a biennial.

We know the annuals, those wonderful summer flowers we buy as plants or as seeds that grow, bloom and die in one summer. Among these are petunias, zinnias, impatiens and many, many others. The perennials we also know. Most of these, including astilbe, monarda, phlox, etc., are planted in spring or summer, grow, die back in the fall and winter, then pop back in the spring and live and bloom for several years.

The biennials have a little different schedule. You plant them one season, whether spring, summer or fall, they come up, make a healthy green plant, then go down with frost. The following spring they will come up, grow, bloom, and die. If you want the plant in your garden, you must plant new seeds each spring or summer to bloom the following year.

This foxglove, or digitalis, is one of the biennials, although the plant will often drop seeds that live to bloom another season. Generally, though, if you want biennials you must plant every year for the following year. Sometimes growers will offer the one-year plants, but don't count on that. Three other favorite biennials are Canterbury bells, sweet William, and hollyhocks.

Foxglove is a good plant for your garden. It offers height, that most beds need and a variety of colors including yellow, red, purple, pink, etc. Foxglove also makes a good cut flower. It is poisonous, so don't make it into a snack.

Sow the seeds in May or June so the plants will have a good growth by frost. If you can find the plants started last year, try to get them in your garden as soon as they are available. Dig a large hole and set the plants so they are even with the ground. Whether you have purchased one-year plants or have the little seedlings from your planting, give them a thin layer of compost and keep them watered.

Although foxglove will live in full sun in many parts of our country, here, in our very warm south, a location in partial shade will be good for them.

Try my weight-loss program, but don't eat the digitalis; remember, it's poisonous.
