Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

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Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Recently, we were in Williamsburg to attend a graduation at the College of William and Mary.  We made a weekend of this and took the opportunity to revisit Colonial Williamsburg, which we had not been to in quite a number of years.  The colonial gardens are always one of the more interesting stops on your self-guided tour, and this year was no different with the beautiful foxgloves in their full glory.  These images are all of the Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) – none of the hybrids that are common today were around in the 18th century so have no place in the colonial gardens of Williamsburg.

Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

–  Click on the image to enlarge or purchase  –

The common foxglove is a quite short lived but frost hardy perennial. In the first year, this plant forms a tight rosette of simple, coarse leaves with prominent veins for a nearly quilted look in its first year.  The clump remains low and close to the ground. It is in the early summer of its second year that the plant comes into its full glory.  At this time the main attraction of its colorful spike of blooms which can grow to a height of 3- to 5-feet tall appear. The flowers come in purple, pink, rosy magenta, white or pale yellow, all with contrasting speckled throats.  All of the colors on display in the gardens during our visit.  I managed to capture images of all the colors excepting the yellow, for which I was not quite enough of a contortionist to enable me to get into position for a shot.

Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

–  Click on the image to enlarge or purchase  –

I will have some more images from Colonial Williamsburg and some of the other historic towns we stopped at on the way there later this summer.

 

 

 

 

Summary
Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Article Name
Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Description
Common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a short lived but frost hardy perennial growing to 3- to 5-feet tall with a colorful spike of blooms
Author
Publisher Name
Mark Summerfield
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4 Comments

  1. Beautiful shots Mark. I like the color variations.

  2. Very pretty shots of these colorful flowers, Mark. Love the detail and DoF.

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