Welcome this gift sowing the seeds you'll love

Many plants seed freely, and one of the most prolific is the foxglove, the seedlings of which are now appearing and which are easily identifiable.

Look upon them as a free gift, and if they’re in the wrong place, move them; they don’t mind being transferred to a more suitable site, just as long as they get the right growing conditions and water.

Just about everyone loves a foxglove; it’s an image of summer – warm woodlands filled the sound of birds and bees. But there’s more to Digitalis purpurea than meets the eye. This is a wild and wonderful bloomer with an ability to find a home in the smallest space.

That’s why the next few weeks is the best time to seek them out. The common foxglove – as opposed to the biennial garden varieties which explode into a multitude of colour in late July and August – is springing up almost everywhere.

D purpurea loves shady spots, deciduous woodland areas and clearings in conifer forests, but it can grow in a crack in a wall, and its flowers are now a common sight on many roadsides.

When you’ve found your seedlings, choose the healthiest looking and lift them with as much soil as possible around the root. Replant them in a semi-shady spot where the soil is rich in leaf mould.