How to Grow: Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

INTRODUCTION

Whimsical, magical and enchanting. Foxglove is all that and more!

The mere sight of them evokes visions of mythical lands and I always expect to see fairies flitting about them (but it’s usually just bumblebees! Ha!).

Foxglove stems look incredible in arrangements.

When crafting bouquets, it’s helpful to incorporate “line” or “spike” shaped flowers, such as Snapdragon, Veronica, Larkspur, Delphinium or Foxglove, to add interest and height to the arrangement.

Foxglove is a fabulous addition to the cutting garden… or to simply grow for the pollinators (and fairies).

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of growing Foxglove for cut flower use.

PROS

Their “spike” shape adds drama, movement and visual interest to bouquets. There’s nothing else quite like them!
They are long-lasting in the vase when harvested at the proper stage (more about that later!)
They are magical. I think that’s reason enough to grow them. ;)
They usually provide 2 flushes of blooms - one in late spring/early summer and another about a month or two later.

CONS

Warning: All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested. If you have curious children or pets that could eat the flowers or leaves, it’s best to skip growing Foxglove. Touching the plants/flowers is perfectly safe. While I don’t want to downplay their toxicity, I do want to point out that many common flowers (and houseplants, too!) are toxic if ingested, including Morning Glory, Delphinium, Larkspur, Tulips, Lilies, Hyacinths, Hydrangea, Lily of the Valley, Poinsettias, Clematis, Alstroemeria, Sweet Peas and more.
Most varieties are Biennial, which means they produce foliage their first year, overwinter in the garden, then bloom in their second year. That’s a long time to wait to see blooms! In order to have some plants in bloom each year, it’s important to start more plants from seed each year.

CHOOSING SEEDS

Depending on where you live (your climate) and what variety of Foxglove you grow, they may perform as:

an Annual (1 year life cycle),
a Biennial (2 year life cycle), or
a short-lived Perennial (2-3 years)

Some Foxglove varieties have been bred to be FYF (First Year Flowering). This means they will grow like an Annual flower and bloom in their first season. They may flower in their second year, but not reliably.

Most Foxglove varieties are Biennials (if the seed pack does not indicate they are FYF, you can assume they are Biennial).

It usually takes about 360 days from sowing the seeds until they bloom. If you sow the seeds in May, you can expect them to bloom the FOLLOWING year in May. In the first season, they will only grow foliage. Leave them in the garden over the winter (they are tough!) and they will bloom the following spring. After they bloom in their second season, they drop their seeds and the plant dies.

If you allow the plants to drop their seeds and grow in an undisturbed area, they may “self-sow” the following spring and create a “Perennial” patch of Foxglove, with some new plants establishing every year.

Note: If you buy a Foxglove plant at a Plant Nursery and it’s in full bloom, the plant is in its second season. It will die after its blooming is complete. Do not expect it to come back the next season (although it may! Foxglove can be unpredictable like that!).

The following Foxglove series are a great choice for cut flower use, since they are FYF:

“Camelot” series (FYF - first year flowering)
“Dalmation” series (FYF - first year flowering)

Here are a few of my favorite Foxglove varieties to grow for cut flower use:

“Camelot Mix” (FYF - first year flowering)
“Camelot Rose” (FYF - first year flowering)
“Dalmation Peach” (FYF - first year flowering)
“Gloxiniaeflora Mix” (Biennial)

HOW TO SOW

Foxglove is quite easy to grow from seed, although it can take up to 3 weeks for seeds to germinate… so be patient! Foxglove prefers cool weather, so keep the seedlings on the cooler side (unlike Agertum, Celosia, and Zinnias, which like it HOT!).

Transplants or Direct Sow?

It’s best to start Foxglove from seed indoors or in Winter Sowing containers to be transplanted into the garden.

They can be Direct Sown, but this can be difficult since the seeds are tiny.

Start seeds in trays about 6-8 weeks before your Average Last Spring Frost Date. Transplant the seedlings after your Average Last Spring Frost Date.

If you want to speed up the process of growing Biennial Foxglove (and not have the plants taking up valuable space in your garden all summer long), you can try this “Fall Planting” trick.

Start the Foxglove seeds in trays in mid-summer.
When the seedlings are 6-8 weeks old, transplant them into your garden beds. By this time, it’s early fall and you likely have some Annual flowers that are spent anyway. Remove them and put the Foxglove seedling in that space instead.
Allow the young plants to establish and grow a strong root system before the ground freezes.
The following spring, they will bloom!

PLANT SPACING

9-12 inch spacing is appropriate for cut flower use.

GROWING ON

Like most cut flowers, Foxglove appreciates consistent feeding and watering. They perform best in fertile soil.

Plants can be netted or supported to prevent them from falling over. They can grow quite tall! I usually don’t net them, but other people choose to.

Pinching is not required. Most plants that have a “rosette” type growth habit (low-growing leaves radiating from the center of the plant, like Foxglove and Statice) do not require pinching.

Foxglove does not have many issues with pests or diseases.

STAGE OF HARVEST

Remember when I mentioned bumblebees earlier?

I have a bit of a complicated relationship with bumblebees.

On one hand, I love to watch them bumble around in the flowers. It’s so fun and relaxing to be around those adorable “Flying Pandas” (that’s what I call them).

On the other hand, I know that as soon as they pollinate a floret on the Foxglove, that floret will turn brown and ugly and fall off the stem.

This is true for nearly all cut flowers - once the flower has been pollinated, it has fulfilled its mission in life and it immediately moves onto the next phase - dying and going to seed.

If you harvest a stem of florets that have been pollinated, they will all look brown and ugly within a day or two.

The solution? Harvest BEFORE they are pollinated. Check the bottom florets on each stem. When 1 or 2 florets are open, it’s time to harvest before the bumblebees get to them! I like to harvest early in the morning before the bumblebees are awake.

The remaining florets on the stem will gradually open up in the vase over the next week.

P.S. It’s completely acceptable to leave a few stems for the bumblebees. That’s what I do ;)

POST-HARVEST CARE

Like most cut flowers, always harvest in the cool of the day and allow the flowers to rehydrate in water in a cool location overnight before arranging.

Foxglove is ethylene gas sensitive (gas released from ripening fruit which causes flowers to ripen and expire very quickly), so be sure to display them away from fruit.

QUESTIONS?

Ask them here and I’ll get back to you!

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How to Grow Foxglove