Digiplexis Illumination ‘Flame’
* Common name: Digiplexis Illumination ‘Flame’
Photo credit: American Garden Awards
* Botanical name: Digiplexis Illumination ‘Flame’
* What it is: A new breed of annual flower that’s a cross between Digitalis (foxglove) and Isoplexis, a cousin native to the Canary Islands. This new variety of Digiplexis gets spikes of tubular flowers in a blend of salmon, magenta and hot fuchsia. It blooms most of the summer. Note: Plants and flowers are toxic if eaten.
* Size: 3 feet tall, 18 inches wide.
* Where to use: Ideal as a pot centerpiece. They’ll also grow in the ground in a sunny garden. Best in full sun to light shade.
* Care: Work compost and/or timed-release flower fertilizer into the soil at planting, then supplement with granular or liquid fertilizer formulated for flowers every 2 to 3 weeks, especially in pots. Water daily in pots, once or twice a week in the ground.
Snip off flower stalks once all of the flowers on the stalk have browned.
* Great partner: Underplant with a low, spreading, yellow or white annual flower, such as mecardonia Gold Dust, melampodium ‘Showstar’ or ‘Golden Globe’ or scaevola Surdiva White Improved.