In 1989, the most incredibly futuristic and fantastic addition to the burgeoning video game industry was announced and launched into the American market. My friends, we had been delivered the Power Glove. This was to become a most epic failure in the market but a most smashing success in my imagination. For the first time as a child, I had a tool from the future. I had a beautiful piece of equipment that allowed me to fully understand and explore the realm of cybernetics. I may have looked like a regular 5 year old boy, but I was actually only half regular 5 year old boy,and half dangerous space robot pilot from the future. And those days were good. Reminiscing now, there is only one plant that can possibly resuscitate those feelings of joy, power, and beauty. This is Digitalis parviflora, the rusty foxglove.
Rusty may sound like a nasty color, but that's really just to say that it's more orange-brown, which may sound like a nasty color, but that's really just to say that it's more like sweet, sweet milk chocolate. And that most certainly does not sound like a nasty color. Foxglove gets its Latin name Digitalis from the look of its flower, which is shaped sort of like the snipped off fingers of a glove. Digitus in Latin means Finger, so its literally "of fingers". Many species have been cultivated to act as perennials, but Foxglove's natural tendency is as a biennial. A biennial plant is one which doesn't actually flower its first year, but builds a healthy root system and will establish vegetative structures (like leaves). Then only in its second year will it produce a heavy display of flowers (and therefore seeds) before it dies. And that is a rather valiant existence.
Foxgloves can be expected to reach between 2 and 4 feet depending on conditions, which like most horticultural plants, include adequate water and good drainage. Every part of this plant is poisonous if ingested, so although you should plant them in plenty of sun, avoid a location too close to the vegetable plot. As stated before, these will produce seed and self-sow (replant themselves) readily, so if you're looking for a nice tidy specimen plant make sure to dead head as the flower spike begins to close up. The flowers themselves are incredible upward sloping tubes that often have amazing and minute color detailing, much like a fine ghetto cruiser with sassy pinstriped flames. Keep these planted together en masse, and use them near the front of the border to allow that sassy detailing to be seen when they bloom around mid-summer.
The catch phrase of this blog is "These ain't your grandma's pansies." And these ain't. Digitalis parviflora is an impeccable selection for the Garden Manscape. 1 part flower, 2 parts delicious color, and 5 parts epic life cycle. If botanical cybernetics ever exist, the research will definitely start with rusty Foxglove, and I for one will already be on board. Where will you be?
photo credits:
1] http://learnunity3d.com/2010/02/nintendo-nes-power-glove-arduino-unity-win/
2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/15/plant-of-week-digitalis-parviflora-milk-chocolate
3] http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/5813020999_1ed58efcd5.jpg
4] http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1295/947654885_ec05f93cd1.jpg
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