Digitalis Arctic Fox™ Lemon Cream

Digitalis Arctic Fox™ Lemon Cream: Speckled Lemon Bells, No Waiting Around

Pale lemon bells with a dusting of freckles, like a sundress that went to a picnic and never got a grass stain. This foxglove blooms the first year and comes back for seconds if you deadhead it. SOFT LOOK. TOUGH COOKIE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Digitalis hybrid
• Common Name: Foxglove
• Series: Arctic Fox™, from Darwin Perennials (cultivar 'Balroxleam')
• Height: 60 cm (2 ft)
• Spread: 45 cm (1.5 ft)
• Flowers: Pale lemon-yellow bells with small freckles in the throat, on upright spikes
• Bloom Time: Late spring through summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Green, lance-shaped leaves in a low clump
• Features: Rabbit resistant, first-year flowering, reblooms with deadheading, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it to add height to the middle of a border, in a cottage garden, or as the tall centrepiece in a large container. Because rabbits and deer tend to skip it, it's useful in gardens where hungry visitors take out everything else. Cut a few spikes for the vase.

Companion Plants: Geranium 'Biokovo' forms a low white carpet from May to July at the foot of these yellow spires. Echinops ritro adds round blue globes at 90 to 120 cm from July to September, a cool contrast to soft yellow. Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' brings orange flowers and sword-like leaves from July to September. The group grows well in full sun or partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in moist, well-drained soil with some organic matter. In hot spots, a bit of afternoon shade helps. Avoid soggy clay, especially over winter. Water regularly, especially during the first season and dry spells. Cut spent flower spikes down to the leaves to encourage new ones. Cut back tired foliage in late fall or early spring. In zone 5 gardens, a layer of mulch after the ground freezes gives extra winter protection. All parts are toxic if eaten, so wear gloves and keep it away from pets that like to chew.

History: Darwin Perennials showed the Arctic Fox™ series at the California Spring Trials in 2019 as hybrid foxgloves that bloom in their first year without a cold period. The genus name Digitalis comes from the Latin for finger, because the flowers fit over a fingertip like a thimble.

Final Thoughts: Pop it between the hot pinks to keep the peace. THE DIPLOMAT OF THE COTTAGE GARDEN.