Friday, June 17, 2022

White Foxglove


One of the foxgloves I grew from seed has turned out to be rather unusual -- perfectly white, with upward-facing flowers. You're getting two views. Above it's shown from outside in front of the living room window, which is reflecting the next-door neighbor's house. (Not Mrs. Kravitz -- the neighbor on the other side.)


And here it is from inside, with reflections of the afternoon light on the living room wall.

It seems like a pretty normal morning around here at the moment, with parakeets on the bird feeder and temperatures of about 70º F. But it's supposed to get freakishly hot later -- at least for England, a land with virtually no air conditioning. The forecast says it will be 90º F (32º C) by 4 p.m.

Fortunately, this weird blast of heat is only supposed to last for a day. Tomorrow we'll be back down in the 70s. Dave and I went around and watered everything in the garden last night, and I took a big can of water down the street to the struggling street tree to help see it through. That probably seems like an overreaction given that parts of the states are in the 90s -- if not the 100s -- every day in the summer. But as I said, for England this is very hot.

And we will be stuck indoors at a lengthy meeting and luncheon marking the last day of school. Yes, FINALLY, it is our last day before summer break. Our school's air conditioning is notoriously inefficient so I'm dressing light. I might even wear a t-shirt.

21 comments:

River said...

That's a beautiful foxglove and I don't believe white is a common colour. You should save the seeds and see if you can grow more. You could sell pots of seedlings at a fund raising stall next time your school holds one.

Frances said...

I must check my foxgloves......though I think they are all purple or a pale peachy colour!
I am not looking forward to the heat today, I don't do hot!! Alexi will have a walk in the woods this morning and then a quiet day hiding in the north facing sitting room.

Moving with Mitchell said...

Yippee for summer break. We’ve hovering around 90 here, but air conditioning is common. As always, gorgeous photos.

gz said...

Upward facing foxgloves seem to be fashionable with the plant breeders now..lucky to to get it for free! I wonder why this sport happens? You won't get bees sheltering in these!!
It is rather pretty

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Given the promise of heat, I am surprised that you didn't just wear your leopard print thong and flip flops for work today. Interesting that the foxglove blooms are pointing upwards!

Ed said...

Yes, we are on day five of near 100F degree temperatures with humidity getting into the upper 70% range. I haven’t done a lot outside as a result. This is way above normal for us this time a year.

Pixie said...

The foxglove is lovely and I hope your last day before summer break goes quickly. Stay cool.

Ms. Moon said...

I know nothing of Foxglove but I do know a pretty plant when I see one.
Our heat here is becoming intolerable. To me, at least.
Congratulations on making it to the last day of school for the season! You did it!

Boud said...

That's an interesting variation on the usual foxglove color and shape. Are you planning to collect seeds from it?

Last day of school! At my son's school teachers would be dancing in the faculty room like kids! So happy.

Sharon said...

What a pretty bloom on that foxglove.
I was planning on walking this morning but it didn't cool down last night as usual so I'm still deciding if it will be worth it.

NewRobin13 said...

That is such a pretty foxglove.
Crazy heatwaves happening in California. We are pretty lucky here with an expected high of only 62 degrees. It's a sunny day here too.
Stay cool there.

Ellen D. said...

Lovely foxglove! Hope your summer lasts long and is filled with fun and relaxation!

Edna B said...

Your white foxglove is gorgeous! We have these high temps on and off now till September. As long as you have a good fan or two, you'll be okay. Enjoy your summer off from school. Hugs, Edna B.

Wilma said...

The last day of school was always my favorite! (I hated going to school, although I loved learning.). That foxglove is a true white!

Margaret said...

I've never seen a foxglove like that! It's stunning. 90 degrees, ouch. My heat came on this morning. I still prefer this to the heat dome we had last June.

Bob said...

We are in the high 90s with a heat index of nearly 110 and 100% humidity.

It's hot and sticky and not in a good way.

ellen abbott said...

How weird that white foxglove has upward pointing flowers. I wonder if this is a bizarre genetic mutation or if there is a cultivar like this. Maybe we're seeing evolution happening right before our eyes and in your yard!

Hot hot here.

Michael said...

Enjoy your summer break. There is nothing like that feeling on the last day of school when you realize that the summer stretches before you. I was in the UK in 2005 when they had a major heat wave, and NOTHING was air conditioned. Right now it is 95 degrees in Richmond, VA, but I am sitting in an air conditioned living room!

Catalyst said...

It has cooled down to 90 degrees here today and another 10 degree drop is predicted for tomorrow. 80 degrees will seem like Autumn here! :)

Kelly said...

I feel for anyone having to deal with temps in the 90sF with no AC, especially if humidity is involved. At the moment, it's 95F (35C) here with a heat index of 108F (42C). Sometimes I miss my childhood when we never talked of a heat index or wind chill factor.

Steve Reed said...

River: I don't know about selling them -- I'm not that industrious! But I might save some seeds, or at least spread them around the garden.

Frances: I don't think I got any peachy ones. Pretty much all of ours are shades of purple.

Mitchell: Air con makes all the difference!

GZ: I didn't even know they were a "thing"!

YP: Well, I didn't talk about my underwear, did I?

Ed: Ugh! That sounds miserable.

Pixie: I'm not sure it went quickly, but I did stay relatively cool, thank god!

Ms Moon: I can't believe I ever lived in Florida. When I go back now it just kills me.

Boud: I might save some seeds, but if I do I'll just sprinkle them around. I'm not doing all that potting-tray rigmarole again.

Sharon: Allow me to answer that -- no!

Robin: Now THAT sounds like exquisite weather!

Ellen D: So far (18 hours in), so good!

Edna: Fortunately we DO have a fan.

Wilma: Schools fail a lot of kids who love learning but just can't tolerate the regimentation. But we are getting better at dealing with those types of personalities, I think.

Margaret: We did finally turn out heat off about a week ago. I told Dave enough was enough!

Bob: Yep, I remember those days from my time in the South!

Ellen: Yeah, I don't know! The fact that GZ said they're "in" makes me think people are breeding them to be this way.

Michael: Yeah, a true heat wave here is no fun at all.

Catalyst: That sounds like a nice change!

Kelly: Yeah, I don't remember hearing those terms either! Well, wind chill, maybe. They did always talk about the "feels like" temperature, though, which I suppose is basically a heat index.