While I enjoy seeing foxgloves in gardens, I can’t help comparing the straight, sturdy, varieties of commerce to wild foxgloves that weave around Lancashire’s fields and country lanes.
Rarely without some form of wave or bend – the ‘nod’ of folklore – wild foxgloves can grow with aplomb wherever they find themselves, high or low. Much of their charm is in their willy-nillyness.
My advice to anyone planning to bed foxgloves out in parts of the world where they rarely re-seed and are never seen wild is to put them somewhere surprising rather than in the most visible free spot. Be inspired by G. M. Hopkins and plant them ‘wilder, wilful-wavier’.
Shared for Cee’s Flower of the Day.
Susan Rushton 
They remind me of the Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) growing wild here. Really nice to see them in large colonies. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve seen those in gardens but never in the wild.
I love foxglove! I saw it wild in Norway about 3 years ago..it was everywhere up and down the mountains. Simply beautiful.
You’ve painted a wonderful picture in my mind.
I always read eagerly to see how your words capture the image. It’s always such fun, not to mention inspiring; I think sometimes you have mind-melded with the plants. This is particularly good, I think. APLOMB! How often do we get treated to a word like that? And it is so fitting. As is willy-nillyness. I think I have never seen foxglove growing wild, so I am imagining myself there wondering if the ferns are as surprised as I am.
Words with mb in them do seem a bit suspicious. The b is a hanger on. Doorjamb does not look like a real word if you catch yourself looking at it unawares and bedumb ought really not to be allowed (outside a song, when any number would be acceptable).
I did not know of bedumb! Thank you! I will say it with aplomb!
They are a bit leaden as rhymes go. I found a site that lets you look for words ending in specific letters and there are more than is ample. Mostly suspicious, so even the innocent ones look doubtful in such company. Cromb = to draw by a crook. Dislimb (!)
Cromb? What a great word! Dislimb is a bit creepy, but still a great word. You are ever adding to my vocabulary — thanks!!
Lovely image. I love foxgloves too. I have two in my polytunnel that i didn’t have the heart to pull up
They’ll reward you for it.
I love the willy-nillyness of wild foxgloves, they pop up all around the lanes here and some have found their way into my garden. I’m always happy to see them wherever they appear. 💜
They’ve no respect for whether or not a wall is owned.
These remind me of our ‘spring obedient plant’ — Physostegia intermedia. They have that same bendiness as they attain height, and will pop up ‘wherever’ — especially in areas like ditches and the margins of other wet areas.
I can see that, although obedient would be a poor description for foxgloves, being unlikely to stay where they are put. Any flower arranger has to go with the flow, so to speak.
You’re right. Wild foxgloves work so much better than neatly arranged in a garden. Though there,they usually get away too.
We went for a meal at a place where the garden used to be full of wild foxgloves. It has been tamed now (and is far less memorable).
Once though, it was glorious …
It is proving to be a good year for them; we certainly have no need to plant any and leave them willy-nilly “wilful-wavier”
You can just enjoy them.
Great angle, composition, and tones to highlight this flower.
Thanks, David. I’m glad you liked it.
We nature photographers should adopt the conceit that we are the gentry that wildflowers nod in deference to.