[Alec_Macpherson]

Rather than clog-up the place with two posts, I'll combine them.

Do foxgloves flower in the first or second year?

Can sea holly seeds simply be scattered for growth that year?

[mumofstig]

foxgloves are biennial, so it's sow and grow this year - flower next 

don't know anything about sea holly 

[sion01]

ive seen a foxglove that's advertised as annual if planted early(don't know THEIR definition of early)

[Trillium]

Not sure about sea hollies. I got a volunteer root when my sister gave me one of her irises and now I have several plants around the garden. I'm sure they've self seeded but not that well. If you want a number of them, I'd be inclined to pot the seeds then plant whatever comes up.

[arugula]

I think it might be unlikely that sea holly will germinate from scattered seed unless you do this up to and over the winter as they like cold but are still notoriuously hard to germinate. Its something I haven't managed to grow here yet, but I'd love some.

[Helen194]

Can't seem to get any foxgloves at all - I thought they were easy to grow!

Eryngiums are tricky things, apparently eryngium giganteum can be sprinkled anywhere and up come the seedlings; once you have them, you can't get rid of them!  Mine are still cosseted in the house, and no sign of any growth.  If I remember, it is best to sow them in the autumn so it has a cold period before it grows, I forgot all that so I am doing it now, and hoping for some growth.  How long until you realise your seeds are dead?  My foxgloves are still in the seed tray for over a month now, with no baby seedlings.  Oh hum, the agony and ecstasy of a would be gardener! 

[Trillium]

I've borrowed this from Thompson & Morgan:

SOWING: Sow seed on the surface of a good, free-draining, damp, seed compost and place at a temperature of at 65-85F. Lightly cover the seed with vermiculite. Place in a propagator or seal container inside a polythene bag until after germination which usually takes 14-30 days. Do not exclude light, as this helps germination. Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle into trays or 3in pots. Gradually acclimate plants to cooler conditions for a few weeks before planting out after all risk of frost, 45-18-24in apart. An early sowing will occasionally produce flowers in the same year.

The secret is that foxglove seeds need light for germination. And yes, they are slow, but with either a propagator or sealed bag, they should be up in about 3 weeks.

[catllar]

Don't you propogate seaholly from root cuttings or am I thinking of something else? I know I've got a few in my garden since about 6 years but they've never seeded!

[Trillium]

You can do root cuttings of sea holly, but the deep tap root would  be affected, much like parsnips and carrots, and stunt remaining top growth. Sea holly is frequently used to stabilize hillsides from erosion.

Sea holly can be divided in early spring if you take the new young growth with minimal root disturbance. This would be from a seed that fell close to the parent plant.