Collection: Foxgloves

The best time to plant foxgloves (digitalis) is in late spring or early summer (May to July). You can also grow them from seed, by sowing seeds indoors in late winter.

Foxgloves like a position in partial shade and well draining soil, but they will also grow in full sun. Dappled sunlight is best, such as under trees. Avoid planting foxgloves in hot, dry, or waterlogged soil.

Plant your foxgloves about 30-45 cm apart to allow for good air circulation and growth.

Foxgloves don't really need feeding. If your soil is very poor however, you can add a general purpose fertiliser or mix in plenty of manure or compost before planting.

Water your foxgloves regularly so that the soil is always moist but never waterlogged, as they can suffer from root rot if they get too wet.

Tall foxglove varieties (which is most of them!) will benefit from staking to stop them bending or toppling over in strong winds. Use bamboo stakes or plant sticks and tie the stems gently to avoid damaging them. Planting against a wall or fence, or planting densely, also helps.

Foxgloves flower from May to July, with some variation between different varieties. Grown from seed or plug plants, they probably won’t flower in the first year, but garden ready plants will produce flowers.

Deadhead foxgloves by cutting off the flower spikes once they have finished blooming. This encourages the plant to produce more flowers. It also stops them self seeding everywhere if that’s a concern!

All parts of a foxglove are poisonous if you eat them, which we certainly don’t recommend. If you’re worried about this, plant them out of reach of pets and small children, and wear gloves when gardening.