How to grow foxgloves
All you need to know about growing beautiful foxgloves, in our Grow Guide.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||
| Plant | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||||||||
| Flowers | yes | yes | ||||||||||
| Cut back | yes | yes | yes |
This article has been checked for horticultural accuracy by Oliver Parsons.
Foxgloves (genus Digitalis) are popular in cottage-garden planting schemes and loved for their spires of bell-shaped, bee-friendly tubular flowers. Most foxgloves are biennial, which means they put on root and foliage growth in year one, and then flower and set seed in year two, before dying. However, some varieties of foxglove are short-lived perennials.
Digitalis purpurea is native to areas of Western Europe, including the UK. Its purple, pink, red or occasionally white bell flowers with spotted throats are a familiar sight in woodland clearings, heathland and gardens, where they bloom from June to September. Digitalis purpurea is a valuable plant for wildlife. Long-tongued bumblebees feed from the flowers and the leaves provide food for the caterpillars of several moth species.
Bear in mind that all parts of foxgloves are poisonous and can kill an adult human if any part of the plant is ingested. You may want to avoid growing them if you have pets or young children.
How to grow foxgloves
Grow foxgloves in moist but free-draining soil, in full sun to full shade – some varieties are more tolerant of shade than others. Deadhead spent blooms after flowering to encourage a second flush, or let them self-seed over the garden.
Biennial types can be dug up after they have set seed, but perennial foxgloves should be cut back between mid-autumn and spring, ready to bloom again the following year.
More on growing foxgloves:
Find more detailed advice on growing foxgloves below.
Where to plant foxgloves
Most foxgloves thrive in dappled shade. However, some species, such as Digitalis parviflora and Digitalis obscura, require full sun to be at their best. Foxgloves will grow in any soil type but do best in moist but free-draining soil. Avoid planting foxgloves in very wet or very dry soil.
As Digitalis purpurea is biennial, you might not get flowers in the same year that you plant the plants. What's more, if you want your biennial foxgloves to self-seed around the garden and flower reliably every year, you will need to sow or plant foxgloves two years in a row.
How to identify foxglove leaves
The leaves of Digitalis purpurea are green and softly hairy, with blunt-toothed margins. They are oval-shaped and can reach 30cm in length. In the first year, foxgloves produce a basal rosette of leaves; in the second year, a tall flower spike emerges with smaller stem leaves.
Foxglove leaves could be confused with the foliage of several other species including comfrey, great mullein, green alkanet or borage. Distinguishing between these plants can be difficult, but becomes easier once they begin to flower.
How to plant foxgloves
Plant foxgloves in spring or autumn, directly into the garden. Foxgloves can also be planted in large, sturdy containers, using loam-based compost with plenty of organic matter. Water in well and continue to water foxgloves in pots regularly, especially during hot weather.
Many foxgloves self-seed around the garden and seedlings often appear near the parent plant. These can be transplanted to other areas where they have more space to develop, or they can be potted up so you can ensure that they are watered regularly.
Watch Monty Don demonstrate how to plant foxgloves, in this clip from BBC Gardeners' World:
How to grow foxgloves from seed
All you need to do to ensure foxgloves disperse their seed is avoid deadheading the flowers until the seeds have developed and ripened. You can then collect ripened seeds from August and scatter them directly where you want foxgloves to grow. Alternatively, sow seeds finely in a tray of seed compost – don't cover the seeds; instead, place a propagator lid or sheet of glass over the tray. Seedlings grown in trays should be overwintered in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame, before planting out in spring.
As foxgloves are extremely toxic, you should always wash your hands thoroughly after handling seeds or any other part of the plant, or wear gloves. Keep plants and seeds away from small children, and make sure that older children can identify foxglove plants and that they know about the dangers of ingesting them.
When do foxgloves flower?
Perennial foxgloves, such as Digitalis parviflora and Digitalis lanata, flower every year for several years, but biennial species only flower in their second year before setting seed and dying. Most foxgloves flower in late spring and the summer.
How to care for foxgloves
Foxgloves require very little care, and will flower and seed without any intervention from the gardener.
The three golden rules of caring for foxgloves are:
- Grow them in dappled shade, in nutrient-rich soil
- Do some research to find the right foxglove for your garden
- Save the seeds of the varieties you like
Discover more by watching our video, below:
By midsummer, foxgloves have finished flowering and can look unsightly. In the video, below, Monty Don explains how to clear your borders of foxgloves to make room for other plants:
Pests and diseases
Foxgloves are trouble-free plants and are usually untroubled by slugs and snails, but you may need to protect young plants from molluscs as they will be vulnerable while still small. While caterpillars do sometimes eat foxglove leaves and flowers, these creatures are food for baby birds in spring, so it's best to leave them be.
Buying advice
- Ensure you check the growing requirements of the foxgloves you choose. Most prefer shade, but some grow best in full sun
- Most foxgloves are biennials, so plan for them to flower in their second year
- Always check plants for signs of damage or disease before planting
Where to buy foxgloves online
Foxglove varieties to grow
Digitalis purpurea – the native foxglove. Biennial. Tall spires of dark-pink flowers in June and July. Height 2m.
Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot' – an extremely pretty variety with apricot-pink flowers. Biennial. Height 1m.
Digitalis lutea – pale-yellow flowers in June and July. Perennial. Height 60cm.
Digitalis purpurea Excelsior Group – biennial plants with white, pink or mauve flowers. Height 2m.
Digitalis parviflora – small, brown flowers, tightly packed onto the flower spike. A perennial that flowers from late May to July. Height 60cm.
Digitalis grandiflora – perennial foxglove with large, warm-yellow flowers. Height 1m.
Digitalis purpurea 'Pam’s Choice’ – a fairly new plant that has pure-white flowers with deep-maroon marked centres. Flowers from May to July. Height 1.5m.
Frequently asked questions
Help! My foxgloves aren't flowering
Foxgloves are biennial plants, which means they typically flower in their second year. However, if they have grown big but are still not showing signs of a flower stem, they may be conserving energy to flower in their third year. This could be because they didn't put on enough growth in year one. Don't worry, your foxglove will bloom – just later than expected.
Should I be worried about foxglove toxicity and my pets?
Like many garden plants, foxgloves are toxic, and can be fatal to people and pets if eaten in sufficient quantities. However, it's extremely unlikely that you, your children or your pets will eat foxgloves, and millions of gardeners grow them without any problems. If you have a puppy or stressed dog with a tendency to chew plants, then removing foxgloves and other toxic plants would be a sensible precautionary measure; otherwise, you are very unlikely to have any problems.
When's the best time to move a foxglove?
The best time to move a foxglove is in early spring, before growth resumes ahead of flowering. This gives the foxgloves a good chance to become established and develop a flower stem before the heat of summer dries out the soil. As with any transplant, ensure you dig up as much of the rootball and surrounding soil as possible, to cause the foxglove the least amount of stress.
What's eating my foxgloves?
All parts of the foxglove plant are poisonous, so they tend to be avoided by pests such as rabbits, deer, slugs and snails. However, some caterpillars can cope with the level of toxicity in foxgloves, including the angle shades and foxglove pug moths. These moth caterpillars are unlikely to do any lasting damage to your foxgloves and are part of the garden ecosystem, so it's best to just let them get on with it. Slugs and snails will generally leave foxgloves alone, but tender seedlings may be eaten.
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