Biennial Flower
Camelot Mix Digitalis is an F1 hybrid foxglove that breaks the two-year rule by blooming the first year from seed, delivering spires of color in zones 4 through 8 within 120 to 135 days. This compact variety reaches a manageable size perfect for mixed borders and cutting, with flowers that range across the classic Camelot palette. Growing in partial shade with moderate water and soil slightly acidic to neutral (pH 5.5 to 7.0), it combines the elegance of cottage garden tradition with modern breeding for earlier, more reliable flowering.
Partial Shade
Moderate
4-8
?in H x ?in W
Biennial
High
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Unlike traditional foxgloves that sulk through their first season, Camelot Mix flowers reliably in its first year, rewarding patient seed-starters with a full season of blooms. The compact growth habit keeps plants tidy and proportional, while the flowers excel as cut material, opening progressively from bottom to top and responding to deadheading with additional blooms. Light is essential for germination, so these seeds need exposure to air, not burial in dark soil, a crucial detail that separates success from frustration.
Camelot Mix Digitalis excels as a cut flower, with florists and home arrangers valuing the tall spires of color and the flowers' tendency to open sequentially along the stem. In the garden, the vertical form creates textural contrast in mixed beds and contributes the classic foxglove silhouette to cottage-style plantings. The compact growth means it fits smaller spaces where standard foxgloves might overwhelm.
Sow seeds indoors 10 to 12 weeks before your last spring frost. Light is required for germination, so do not cover seeds; instead, press them gently into moist seed-starting mix or cover very lightly with fine vermiculite to hold them in place. Keep soil moist and maintain temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Seedlings will emerge within 1 to 2 weeks.
Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Transplant into the garden after the last frost date, spacing plants 9 inches apart in partial shade. Soil should be moist but well-draining.
Direct seed outdoors as soon as soil can be worked in spring, only in areas with long growing seasons. Press seeds onto moist soil in partial shade and keep consistently moist until germination occurs.
Deadhead spent flower spikes by removing the lower third of flowers that have opened; this encourages the plant to produce additional blooms further up the stem and extends the flowering season.
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