Digitalis Firebird is an easy plant to grow. All it needs is a spot outdoors in the sun.
It is happy in either a border or in a large pot. It will grow to about 1 metre tall when in full flower. The flowers begin in mid to late May and will continue throughout the summer – as each flower stem matures, many new stems will start to grow from the base, without you needing to “dead-head”.
Firebird likes a little bit of extra feeding, particularly if it is grown in a pot. A general soluble or granular feed will do the job – just add it when the plant begins to flower and you will be rewarded with a happy healthy plant with lush deep green leaves. If you have it in a pot, make sure that it is neither waterlogged nor too dry.
In winter, the plant will die back once there has been a frost. Don’t worry, this is normal. Simply cut the stems back to about 30cm and, in the spring, the plant will begin to grow either from the stems or from ground level (or both). Firebird is winter hardy in most of the UK and, in trials, has survived to -7 Celsius in a pot. In very cold areas, you may need to give it a little winter protection.