How To Grow Foxgloves

TAG: Gardening Advice by Christina

All you need to know about growing beautiful foxgloves.

Sow: June, July & August
Plant: March, April & September
Flowers: May, June & July
Cut back perennials: October
Loved by: Bees

How To Grow Foxgloves

Follow these easy steps when planting foxgloves:

  • Prepare the soil - Foxgloves prefer moist, well-drained soil.  If your soil is sandy or clay, add some compost or manure to improve drainage.
  • Choose a location - Foxgloves prefer partial shade.  Avoid planting them in full sun, as this can scorch the leaves.
  • Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball.
  • Remove the plant from the pot and place it in the hole.
  • Backfill the hole with soil and water well.
  • Mulch around the plant to help retain moisture.

Foxgloves are a popular choice for cottage gardens and wildlife-friendly planting schemes.  Their tall spikes of bell-shaped flowers with spotted centres are a real eye-catcher, and they provide much-needed nectar for bees.  Most foxgloves are biennial, meaning they grow roots and leaves in their first year, then flower and set seed in their second year before dying.  However, there are some varieties of foxglove that are perennial, meaning they will live for more than two years.

Foxgloves are poisonous to humans and animals.  All parts of the plant are toxic, and even small amounts can be harmful.  If you have foxgloves in your garden, be sure to wear gloves when handling them and keep them out of reach of children and pets.

Here are some tips for growing foxgloves safely:

  • Plant foxgloves in an area where your pet can't reach them.
  • Wear gloves when you handle the plants.
  • Don't let your children play with the plants.
  • If you have any concerns about the safety of foxgloves, it's best to avoid growing them altogether.

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How to grow foxgloves

I allow my foxgloves to self-seed, and I also collect some of the seeds to start them off in pots.  This allows me to place the foxgloves exactly where I want them, or to fill in any gaps in my garden.

Foxgloves thrive in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to full shade.  Some varieties are more shade tolerant than others. 

Foxglove Digitalis Purpurea performed well during the heat wave of 2022.  The foxgloves that were in full shade within my garden even survived without needing to be watered.

Buy foxglove seeds from Christinas shop

Foxgloves are beautiful flowers that are a popular addition to many gardens.  They are relatively easy to care for, but there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that they thrive.

One important thing to do with foxgloves is to deadhead spent blooms.  This means removing the spent flowers from the plant.  You can do this by simply pinching them off with your fingers.  Deadheading helps to encourage the plant to produce more flowers.

If you want to let your foxgloves self-seed, you can do so by leaving the spent blooms on the plant.  The seeds will eventually fall off and germinate the following spring.  However, if you want to control where the foxgloves grow, you can deadhead the spent blooms to prevent them from setting seed.

Biennial foxgloves only flower in their second year of life.  After they have flowered, you can dig them up and add them to your garden compost.  Perennial foxgloves, on the other hand, will flower for several years.  After they have flowered, you can cut them back in October.  This will help to encourage new growth in the spring.

If you are gardening with wildlife in mind, you can let your foxgloves go to seed and leave the flower spires to die back on their own.  The flower spires provide a great environment for bugs to hide in over the winter.  As the spires rot, they will also add nutrients to the soil.  This is a great way to help wildlife and improve the health of your garden at the same time.

Here are some additional tips for growing foxgloves:

  • Plant foxgloves in an area where they will not be disturbed by foot traffic.
  • Protect foxgloves from slugs and snails.

Where to plant foxgloves

Foxgloves thrive in dappled shade, similar to their natural habitat in woodland clearings or at the foot of native hedges.  When planting foxgloves, consider creating an environment that mimics their natural surroundings.

While most foxgloves prefer partial shade, Digitalis parviflora and Digitalis obscura need full sun to thrive.  Foxgloves will grow in any soil type, but they prefer well-drained, moist soil.  Avoid planting foxgloves in very wet or very dry soil.

Digitalis purpurea is a native biennial and may not flower in the year you plant it.  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.

How to plant foxgloves

Plant foxgloves in spring or autumn, directly into the garden.  Water in well.

foxglove in bloom

How to grow foxgloves from seed

Foxgloves are a prolific self-seeder, and the seeds can be easily collected and scattered directly where you want them to grow.  Alternatively, you can sow the seeds in a tray of seed compost and place a propagator lid over the tray.  I usually start mine off in a window that doesn't get direct sun.  Seedlings grown in trays or pots should be over wintered in a cold frame, before planting out in the following spring.

Here are the steps on how to sow foxglove seed:

  • Collect the seeds when they are ripe.  The seeds will be brown and dry.
  • Sow the seeds in a seed tray filled with seed compost.
  • Do not cover the seeds with compost.
  • Place a propagator lid onto the tray.
  • Keep the seed tray moist but not soggy.
  • The seeds will germinate in 2-3 weeks.
  • Once the seedlings have 2-3 sets of leaves, they can be pricked out and placed into individual pots.
  • The seedlings can be planted out in the garden in the spring, when they are 6-8 inches tall, or in Autumn.

foxglove

How to care for foxgloves

Foxgloves are a low-maintenance plant that will flower and seed without any intervention from you.  They are a great choice for gardeners who want to sit back and watch nature work its magic.

Foxgloves digitalis purpurea

Growing foxgloves: problem solving

Foxgloves are generally trouble-free plants, but they can be susceptible to attack from slugs and snails, especially when they are young.  However, it is important to resist the urge to use slug pellets or other pesticides, as these can also harm other wildlife.  The caterpillars of some moths also eat foxglove leaves and flowers, but these caterpillars are food for baby birds in spring, so it is best to leave them alone.  By letting the caterpillars and slugs live, you can help to improve the eco-system in your garden.

In 2023 I had a massive infestation of aphids, I waited for the aphids natural predators to arrive, but by the time ladybird babies hatched it was too late for the foxgloves, all the life had been sucked out of them.  The lacewings which also enjoy eating aphids arrived a month later, at which point the ladybirds had pretty much clear the garden of aphids.  There certainly seemed to be a miss-match between the aphids and their predators the ladybird and the lacewings arriving.

foxgloves in the garden

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