This Adaptable Mini Makes Itself at Home!
Long-blooming and more sun-tolerant than other Digitalis.
More adaptable to sun, dry conditions, and poor soil than most other Foxgloves, Spanish Peaks® is a little-used species that sets large blooms on very low-growing plants. It's perfect for facing down taller varieties in the border or filling out your best patio containers splendidly! The rich raspberry-rose blooms on this plant are 2 inches wide and borne along crowded 1-foot spikes. The flowers tend to look even larger than they are, however, for the plant itself is only 18 inches high and wide, really making the blossoms stand out. Expect a heavy bloom in early summer, with a repeat (if the old flowers are cut back promptly) in fall. Spanish Peaks® comes from the species D. thapsi, native to Portugal and Spain. Perhaps its Mediterranean origin makes it more adaptable to heat and dry soil; you'll find it much more content in these conditions than your other Foxgloves. Still, for best growth and flowering, give it rich, moist soil with a good layer of protective mulch. Set it in full sun in the north, part shade farther south. Ideal as cutflowers, these blooms are irresistible in the garden too, attracting butterflies, bees, and birds. The foliage is fuzzy and grayish-green, making the bright bloom color stand out all the more. Spanish Peaks® is lovely in the front of the border, scattered as accents throughout a low-growing display, or planted in mass. All parts of this plant are poisonous, so deer and other nibbling critters leave it alone, and it forms an elegant presence in any sized bed or border. Space plants about 2 feet apart. Zones 4-9.
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