These tall spires of thimble-like flowers are instantly recognisable. Our purple-belled native foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) are found in woodland clearings and heathland, flowering from June to September.
Easy-to-grow, most foxgloves are biennial, meaning 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 and will need replacing as they decline. New hybrids and different species offering more colours, shapes and sizes are now available.
Digitalis purpurea is a valuable plant for wildlife. Long-tongued bumblebees feed from the flowers and the leaves provide food for caterpillars, which then become food for baby birds in Spring. However, all parts of foxgloves are poisonous, and can kill an adult human if any part of the plant is ingested, so you need to wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after handling them. You may want to avoid growing them if you have pets or young children.
Most foxgloves thrive in dappled shade. However some species, such as Digitalis parviflora and Digitalis obscura, require full sun to grow well. Foxgloves will grow in any soil type but do best in a well-drained, moist soil. Avoid planting foxgloves in very wet or very dry soil.
As Digitalis purpurea is biennial, you probably won’t get flowers the same year you plant the plants. They should be planted in spring or autumn, directly into the garden. If you want your foxgloves to self-seed around the garden and flower every year, you will need to plant foxgloves two years in a row.
So what should you be doing to your foxgloves in September? Well, now is the time to be dead-heading them. You can do this as soon as the flowers have finished, removing all the flower stems at the base. This stops them producing seeds, which conserves their energy. It can also sometimes help biennial foxgloves live and flower for an extra year, and also improves the longevity of perennial foxgloves.
However, if you want a yearly supply of new young plants, always leave a few flower stems in place to set seed, then shake the seed heads over patches of bare ground to sow the seeds where you would like your new plants to grow, or just let nature take it’s course and wait for the seedlings to appear near the parent plant. Seedlings can be transplanted to other areas where they have more space to develop, or they can be potted up so you can ensure they are watered regularly and have better protection from slugs while you grow them on.
Do you want some foxgloves in your garden? If so, here are some Gardener’s World suggest:
Digitalis purpurea – the native foxglove. Tall spires of pink or dark pink flowers in June and July. Height 2m.
'Sutton's Apricot' – an extremely pretty variety with apricot/pink flowers. Height 1.5m.
‘Excelsior Group’ – biennial plants that offer white, pink or mauve flowers. Height 2m.
'Pam’s Choice’ – a fairly new plant with pure white flowers with a deep maroon marked centre. Flowers from May to July. Height 1.5m.
Digitalis lutea – pale yellow flowers in June and July. A perennial that reaches 60cm in height.
Digitalis parviflora – small, brown flowers that are tightly packed onto the flower spike. A perennial that flowers from May to July. Height 60cm.
Digitalis grandiflora – perennial foxglove with large, warm-yellow flowers. Height 80cm.
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