Fox-and-cubs

Fox-and-cubs: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low leaf rosettes with creeping overground runners; the flower stems grow 20–40 cm tall.

Leaves

Oblong to lance-shaped, grey-green and covered in short hairs; the rosettes stay close to the ground.

Flower

Orange-red, dandelion-like heads in a compact cluster at the top of the stem, from June to August. The stem has dark, almost black hairs.

Seed

Fluffy little seeds with a tuft of hairs, carried away by the wind.

Roots

Shallow and fibrous. The plant spreads by runners (stolons).

Flowering: June–August · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: July–August

Why grow it?

• Bright orange-red flowers from June to August, a colour you rarely find in the summer border.
• Bees and butterflies visit the flowers readily.
• Grows on lean, dry soil where little else will, also in full sun.
• Good ground cover for sunny edges, dry banks and flower-rich lawns.
• Fully hardy (to about −30 °C) and tough without any care.

Fox-and-cubs: where does it grow best?

• Full sun to light part shade; the sunnier, the richer the flowering.
• Lean, well-drained soil: sand or loam, acid to neutral. On rich soil it grows more lushly and spreads faster.
• Dry to moderately moist; it is very drought-tolerant.
• Choose a spot with a natural boundary: a path, wall, paving or a lawn you mow regularly.
• Allow 30–40 cm per plant; it closes up quickly.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Ox-eye daisy: White and yellow beside the fiery orange, in the same sun and dry soil.
• Brown knapweed: Purple-pink thistle-like flowers, just as bee-friendly.
• Harebell: Fine blue bells that contrast well with orange.
• Blue fescue: A fine blue-grey grass that calms the bright colour.

Fox-and-cubs: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or in September–October, when the soil is not frozen.
2. Choose a spot with a boundary, or plant it in a deep container that you sink in the ground or leave standing.
3. Use lean soil; no compost is needed. Rich soil only makes it spread more.
4. Dig a hole as deep as the pot and set the plant at the same depth as in its pot.
5. Space plants 30–40 cm apart.
6. Water straight away, then only in dry weather until it is established.

Care

Watering

Only in the first year in dry weather. After that it is very self-reliant.

Feeding

Not needed. Rich soil gives lots of foliage, fewer flowers and more spreading.

Mulching

Not needed; a thin layer of grit is fine.

Spent flowers

Cut the stems off before the fluffy seed ripens. This is the most important job.

Managing runners

Once or twice a year, cut round the edge of the plant with a spade and pull up rosettes that have strayed too far.

Tip: Give it a defined spot: a path, wall or mown lawn around the plant keeps it under control. Cut off spent stems before the fluffy seed blows away.

Fox-and-cubs: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August.

When: In July–August, as soon as the flowers fade and before the fluffy seed ripens.

How:

• Cut the faded stems down to the rosette, or mow them off.
• In a flower-rich lawn, mow after flowering on a high setting.
• Cut round the edge of the plant with a spade to limit the runners.

Caution: Do not throw cut flowers with fluffy seed on a cold compost heap or into the countryside: the seed can germinate.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In spring or in September: cut off rooted rosettes with their runners and replant them straight away where you want them.

Sowing

In spring in a seed tray of lean soil; scatter the seed on the surface and barely cover it. Usually not needed, because the plant seeds itself.

Fox-and-cubs: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The rosettes stay partly green in mild winters and start growing again in spring.
• In a pot or container it is easier to keep under control. Put it in shelter and make sure the water can drain away.

Diseases and pests

• Spreading: The plant spreads by runners and seed and can smother its neighbours. Cut round the edges, remove the flowers before the seed ripens and choose a bounded spot.
• Self-sown seedlings: The seed blows away and germinates on bare soil. Weed out seedlings early and cut off the flowers.
• Rot in wet soil: The rosettes turn brown and soft in wet soil. Provide well-drained soil.
• Aphids: Sometimes on the flower stems. Spray them off with water; ladybirds help.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Cut round the edges and shorten runners.
• April: Plant. Check the runners.
• May: Plant. Keep an eye on the runners.
• June: Flowering begins. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers.
• July: Flowering. Cut off spent stems before the seed ripens.
• August: Last flowers. Cut off faded stems.
• September: Plant or divide. Cut round the runners.
• October: Plant. Leave the rosettes for winter.
• December: Rest. The rosettes stay partly green.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• Pilosella comes from the Latin word for ‘hairy’: the foliage is hairy and the flower stem has dark, almost black hairs.
• The English name ‘fox-and-cubs’ is usually explained by the orange-red flowers surrounded by younger buds, the ‘cubs’.
• According to an old legend, hawks used the sap of these plants to keep their eyesight sharp; this is where the name hawkweed comes from.