Foxglove, a flower native to Western Europe, is a popular plant for gardeners, due to its height and stunning foliage. In this article, we’ll do a deep dive on growing and caring for Foxglove, as well as when to plant it and how to harvest its seeds. Let’s dive in!
What is Foxglove?
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a beautiful biennial flower that produces tube-shaped blossoms in a cascading, cone-shape from a single stem. These spires of flowers can stand up to 6 feet tall. Some additional fast facts about Foxglove:
- Latin name: Digitalis purpurea
- Other names: goblin gloves, witches’ gloves and dead men’s bells.
- Native to: Western Europe
- Invasiveness: Yes
- Tenderness: Biennial
- Sun: Full sun
- Water: Prefers moist soil
- Soil: Moist, well-drained soil
- Hardiness zone: 4-9
- When to plant: Spring or fall
- Spacing: 24 inches
- Plant height: 6 feet
- Bloom period: Late spring to early summer
- Time to maturity: 2 years
- Container friendly: No
- Fertilizer: 5-10-5
- Toxicity: Extremely
- Drought Resistant: No
- Deer resistant: Yes
- Pest resistant: Somewhat
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), sometimes called goblin gloves, witches’ gloves and dead men’s bells, is a biennial, flowers native to Western Europe. It requires full sun, moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic compost, and is hardy to zones 4-9. Foxglove can be planted early in Spring once the soil can be worked or in fall, allowing it to overwinter in your garden. Space Digitalis purpurea plants about 2 feet apart.
This flower gets tall, up to 6 feet in height, and does best when planted toward the backs of gardens. This helps keep it from shading and blocking other smaller flowers. It’s a biennial flower, meaning it grows for 2 years then dies. It is not really container friendly, but it can be grown in a container – just expect it to not reach its full height.
All parts of the Foxglove plant are toxic to humans, pets, and other mammals. This makes it a good deer-resistant flower. It is somewhat pest-resistant but is known to have issues with aphids.
Is Foxglove invasive?
Digitalis purpurea is considered potentially invasive outside of its native range, so if you don’t live in Western Europe, plant with caution. Most gardeners won’t have an issue with the flower getting out of control, as it can generally be contained easily in a garden setting.
When does Foxglove flower?
Foxglove is mostly an early summer bloomer. It can bloom beginning in very late spring, but is typically finished blooming by the later months of summer. Occasionally, Digitalis purpurea will send up a second round of flower stalks later in the summer, but these blooms tend to be a lot less robust. You can potentially spur this second round of flowers by promptly removing the first round of flowers after they have run their course.
Growing Foxglove from seed
Growing Foxglove flowers from seed is very simple. Sow them indoors in pots about 8-10 weeks before your last frost date. Place the seeds in the soil and barely cover them. Keep the soil most and at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit and your Digitalis purpurea seedlings will emerge after 2-3 weeks. Transplant your seedlings outdoors after the danger of frost has passed.
Collecting Foxglove seeds
Pollinated Foxglove flowers produce pods filled with seeds. You don’t want to harvest the pods right away though. Allow them time to mature on the stems. When you see the pods starting to crack, that’s when you want to harvest them. If you wait too long, the pods will split open fully and spread the seeds in your garden.
You can store Digitalis purpurea seeds easily in a small container or an envelope. Plant your seeds 8-10 weeks before the risk of frost has passed.
Common problems
Foxglove is a pretty hardy biennial flower, especially when it’s planted in its native range. Aphids are known to be a problem for Foxglove plants, as is powdery mildew. Otherwise, this plant is no-fuss and hardy.
Wildlife attracted by Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea is a favorite of pollinators, and in fact has evolved specifically to attract bumblebees. If you want to bring bumblebees to your yard, Foxglove is a must. It’s also been known as a favorite for hummingbirds. So if hummingbirds are your thing, plant Foxglove!