Digitalis x fulva

Perennial hybrid of the Plantaginaceae family, obtained in the early 20th century at the Merton gardens (England) by crossing Digitalis purpurea and Digitalis grandiflora. This hybrid is one of the few interspecific foxglove hybrids to be fertile and to maintain itself as a truly stable perennial, faithfully transmitting its characteristics through seeding.

It forms large rosettes of oval-lanceolate, softly pubescent leaves, in a matte green, from which rise upright and robust stems of 80 to 100 cm bearing long, well-filled spikes.

The flowers are large, tubular, with a warm and original hue: salmon-pink to apricot-tan, sometimes described as "crushed strawberry," with a cream throat spotted with reddish-brown. This intermediate color between the two parents, neither truly pink nor yellow, constitutes the chromatic signature of this hybrid and gives it particular interest in floral composition.

In its natural habitat, flowering extends from June to July. In cultivation, cutting the stalks after flowering can induce a partial rebloom.

It prefers a cool, humus-rich, well-drained soil, in partial shade or moderate sun. More perennial than Digitalis purpurea, it reseeds and can form lasting colonies. Hardy and adaptable, it is suitable for edge gardens and naturalistic beds.