Digitalis mertonensis Summer King Seeds - Foxglove

Digitalis x mertonensis 'Summer King' is a biennial that bears long spikes of opulent, strawberry pink flowers with garnet red spotted throats.

Digitalis x mertonensis 'Summer King' is a hybrid between the traditional Digitalis purpurea with its purple flowers, typically found in woodland clearings, on the edge of forests or slightly off the beaten path, where the forest is less dense, and Digitalis grandiflora, a mountain species that bears large yellow flowers. It is a biennial or ephemeral perennial of the family  Scrophulariaceae that forms a basal clump measuring 20 to 40 cm wide in the first year. In the second year, it produces large floral scapes.

Foxglove is very recognizable by its finger-shaped flowers, a shape that has prevailed with its scientific and common names: lady’s glove, fairy glove, finger flower. The flowers come in the form of largely tubular corollas 6 to 8 cm long, made up of fused petals that usually hang down with edges that curve slightly upwards, revealing the flower's throat.

The 'Summer King' variety is a heavy bloomer but what is truly exceptional about it is the size of its flowers. From June to September, it produces large, strawberry pink bells displaying throats that are finely spotted with garnet red. The blooms open from the bottom to the top of the spikes, providing bees and bumblebees with nectar.

It reaches 1.40 m in height once fully mature and is ideally planted in pastel accented drifts at the back of beds. Its considerable size is useful for delineating the different areas of small gardens. It is very undemanding in terms of soil even it prefers humus-rich soils. It thrives in moist areas but does not tolerate waterlogged soils. Place it in partial shade, at the edge of woodland, in a thin thicket or in an alpine garden.

The foxglove flower has quite a bad reputation due to its toxicity. Used in white or black magic according to legends, all relate to the digitalin present in all parts of the plant. This substance was later proven to be a powerful cardio tonic that is still used in the medicine industry today, but only in infinitesimal doses.

Warning: seeds are meant for very experienced gardeners who are used to sowing very fine seeds. These seeds are as fine as dust and are barely visible to the naked eye.