🔔 Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
Towering bells of pink and purple — gorgeous, beloved by bumblebees, and absolutely not a snack.
Sun
Part shade; tolerates full sun in cool climates
Days to harvest
Biennial; blooms second year, late spring
Spacing
12-18 inches apart
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
How to grow
Sow seeds on the soil surface in summer — they need light to germinate and will bloom the following year as biennials. Foxgloves self-sow enthusiastically, so one planting becomes a permanent colony if you let a few spikes go to seed. In Florida heat, treat as a fall-sown annual; it won't survive summer but gives a glorious spring show first.
Water & feeding
Keep evenly moist; mulch to keep roots cool — hot, dry roots are its kryptonite.
Common problems
- Powdery mildew in humid, crowded plantings.
- Aphids on flower spikes.
- All parts are highly toxic — site away from curious toddlers and grazing pets.
Harvest
Cut spikes when the bottom florets open for dramatic cut flowers; deadhead to prevent self-sowing if you don't want volunteers.
Nerdy fact: Foxglove contains digitoxin, the compound behind the heart drug digoxin — the dose makes the poison, and this plant does not do subtle doses. William Withering figured this out in 1785, founding modern pharmacology from a flower bed.