The clumps of leaves on these two foxgloves were impossible to tell apart in winter, but in bloom Digitalis parviflora and Digitalis ferruginea are very distinctive. Apart from very different coloration, D. parviflora is the first to bloom, and D. ferruginea is the taller of the two.
In this coastal Oregon zone 8b garden, July brings the first dahlias, more lilies, and…(add intro to Beethoven’s 5th)…dierama.
The first dahlia to bloom by a couple weeks, ‘AC Rosebud,’ is over 7 feet tall and towers over the back fence — the only way to get a decent photo is to cut the flowers for a vase. All dahlias were planted May 2022 and no new dahlias were added for this summer.
Sown in spring, about a dozen Lychnis viscaria ‘Blue Angel’ were planted in the garden and in pots. Weak and spindly as small plants, I had low expectations but July turned things around. They are similar in growth habit to corn cockle, agrostemma, but maybe a foot in height.
Another annual, this one very tall, Madia elegans was brought in as plants with hopes for resowing. I saw this “tarweed” in bloom last summer, had no luck with seeds, but grabbed a couple plants this spring, very unimpressive in their nursery pots but I knew their potential: grey-green, slightly furry leaves, fringed petals, dark center, tall graceful habit, a beautiful Oregon/West Coast native. It can be grown hard or in luxurious conditions like here, where it will soar up to 5 feet. A couple stalks did break off during a very windy June but it recovered and branched out.
And now I get to set the record straight and correct a misidentification. I thought I was digging up Angelica stricta ‘Purpurea’ from the Long Beach zone 10 garden in autumn 2021 to transport to the Oregon garden. Prior to this post, I’ve referred to photos of this plant as an angelica. It is not. I’ve puzzled over the enormous height and lack of purple color to the umbels but assumed seed variation. Browsing a catalogue the other day, I found photos of Peucedanum verticillare — boing! Instant recognition — this is the plant! And I was growing it in the Long Beach garden in October 2020, so must have dug this one up instead of the angelica, which I also grew down south (see post here). If that’s not weirdly confusing enough, this spring I planted a Peucedanum ostruthium at the base of this plant when I thought it was angelica…
And lastly, I’m not impulse-buying many shrubs, but the colors on this podocarpus reminded me so much of the coloring of the leucadendrons in my zone 10 garden that I couldn’t say no. To zone 7b, it appears to be trademarked and heavily marketed. (Some of the photos may show as links only, not sure why, but clicking will bring up the image.)
The plants in your zone 8b garden are very different – and more floriferous, at least right now – than those in your zone 10b garden but your planting style strikes me as similar. You encourage the plants to cozy up to one another and duke it out for space and status 😉
I’m very envious of your first dahlia as I’ve yet to see even a bud. I dug out all the tubers last November to make room for cool season plants in my cutting garden and then didn’t get around to tucking them back into place until June because the those plants hung on so long this year.
Did you buy chance pick up that Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Mood Ring’ at Blooming Junction? I stopped in my tracks—mouth agape—when I saw it. So beautiful.
@Hi Kris – I do pack ’em in! And I’ve already started shuffling stuff around when smaller plants get smothered by the bigger, more vigorous growers or just can’t be seen clearly. That rhythm of our cool season growers in winter/spring is such a perk of zone 10, but it can delay the cutting garden’s warm season. A greenhouse/hoophouse would help with this problem!
@Loree, you’re exactly right about the podocarpus. Just reading your post about Harlan and Mary — so glad you made it! Missed bumping into you by a hair!
I am growing a number of the same plants in my Southey’s Wisconsin Z5 garden and it is so helpful to see them in a garden rather than nursery pix. My Digitalis just finished flowering and I was trying to remember which one I planted. Your photos answered that question: D. parviflora. You have a lovely garden.
Ooh! Love the little green bonnets on the D. ferruginea! Very cool, as is D. parviflora. I think I planted both in my garden last year, but lost track of where one of them was placed. My garden memory hasn’t been too focused lately. Your garden is as beautiful as ever. My Lobelia tupa just made it through its first winter in the ground. No blooms yet, but looking forward to some assertive height and seeing how it competes with horsetail. Lychnis viscaria is a new one for me – so different in appearance from other species. I planted Madia elegans a couple years ago and it has been prolific to say the least. I’ve been slowly making my way through the patch ripping out the taller ones with plain yellow flowers in favor of shorter plants whose flowers have a dark red center (like yours). Hoping I can select for a shorter, more colorful population over time.
So many great plants that I have never heard of before. Always an education seeing what you are growing. The hog fennel stem colour is gorgeous. Does it hold up over the winter?
@Linda, so glad to be of help with the ID! I’ve learned so much valuable ‘IRL” info from blogs too.
@Jerry, I’m surprised at the height of the madia, and maybe growing conditions are too rich as it’s starting to lean. I’d love to have enough seedlings to rogue out plain yellow and select for slightly more compact!
@Elaine, so many amazing plants to grow, I love seeking them out. Not exactly what the hog fennel will do with winter…I’m guessing collapse but which month, early or mid winter? It’s abuzz with insects and hummingbirds use it for a perch for rest breaks.