How to Grow Erinus Plants in your Garden
Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Fairy Foxglove, Alpine Balsam, and Starflower
Depending on the species they bloom from the end of winter to summer and carry flat flowers of pink, white or red.
Their small size makes them ideal to grow in rock gardens or in the gaps of drystone walls.
A common name of Erinus is Fairy Foxglove.
Erinus alpinus by peganum.
Erinus Growing and Care Guide
Common Names: Fairy Foxglove, Starflower, Alpine Balsam.
Life Cycle: Hardy perennial.
Height: 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm).
Native: Europe.
Flowers: Species dependent: Late winter and/or spring and/or summer.
Flower Details: White, red, violet, pink. Flat. Massed. Small.
Foliage: Tiny. Green. Grey-green.
Sow Inside: Germination time: 3 weeks to one month. Temperature: 65 to 75°F (18 to 24°C). Seven or eight weeks in advance. Transplant outdoors following the last frost.
How to Grow Fairy Foxglove (Erinus)
Seeds of Erinus should be sown on the soil surface at the start of spring. Fairy foxgloves like to grow in a sunny to partially shaded part of the garden that has good drainage.
The soil should be gritty or sandy in nature. If you prefer to start the growing process of Fairy Foxglove indoors then they should be started off about 8 weeks before due to be put in the garden (following the last frost of spring).
They typically take about three to four weeks to germinate at a temperature of 17 to 21 degrees Centigrade.
Caring for Erinus Plants in the Garden
If you require more Fairy Foxgloves then they should be divided in the spring. It is best not to self seed Erinus plants, as the plants used in gardens are cultivated to be as they are, so if they self their offspring do not stay true and are not as attractive.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Erinus plants. Updated September 2020.
If you enjoy the information on this site, then you'll love my book: The Gardener's HQ Plant Growing Guide. Available for Kindle (MOBI), iPad (ePub) and as a PDF.
Genus Index E
