Foxglove
This is a biennial for most garden forms — expect a rosette of leaves in year one and flowers in year two, after which the original plant usually dies. Let a few spikes go to seed each year to keep a self-sustaining patch going, rather than expecting one planting to flower forever.
Care
Woodland-edge conditions suit it best, though it tolerates more sun where the soil stays reliably moist.
Moist but well-drained soil; doesn't like to dry out completely, especially in the first year.
Humus-rich, moisture-retentive but free-draining soil. Happy in dappled shade under trees or at a woodland edge.
Cut the main flower spike after flowering to encourage a second, smaller flush of side shoots, or leave it to set seed if self-seeding is wanted. Remove old flowering stems once fully finished.
Needs no feeding — it grows in woodland edge and disturbed ground, and a rich soil gives a taller spike that blows over in the first summer storm.
Let it seed itself: a single spike sheds thousands of tiny seeds, and the resulting rosettes can be moved in autumn to where you want them next summer. Sow on the surface, since the seed needs light to germinate.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchFirst-year rosettes and any self-sown seedlings become visible — thin or transplant while small if too crowded. how ›
- JuneCut the spent main flower spike to encourage a smaller second flush, or leave a few spikes to self-seed. how ›
- SeptemberSow seed or plant out young rosettes now for flowering next summer — this is a biennial, so this year's sowing flowers next year, not this one. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchFirst-year rosettes and any self-sown seedlings become visible — thin or transplant while small if too crowded. how ›
- JuneCut the spent main flower spike to encourage a smaller second flush, or leave a few spikes to self-seed. how ›
- SeptemberSow seed or plant out young rosettes now for flowering next summer — this is a biennial, so this year's sowing flowers next year, not this one. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryFirst-year rosettes and any self-sown seedlings become visible — thin or transplant while small if too crowded. how ›
- MayCut the spent main flower spike to encourage a smaller second flush, or leave a few spikes to self-seed. how ›
- SeptemberSow seed or plant out young rosettes now for flowering next summer — this is a biennial, so this year's sowing flowers next year, not this one. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryFirst-year rosettes and any self-sown seedlings become visible — thin or transplant while small if too crowded. how ›
- MayCut the spent main flower spike to encourage a smaller second flush, or leave a few spikes to self-seed. how ›
- OctoberSow seed or plant out young rosettes now for flowering next summer — this is a biennial, so this year's sowing flowers next year, not this one. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. All parts are highly toxic if eaten.
What to do. Site away from where children or pets might chew leaves — a genuinely important safety note, not just a general caution.
How to spot it. White coating on leaves, usually in a dry, crowded spot.
What to do. Improve air circulation, water at the base rather than over the foliage.
How to spot it. A foxglove that flowered doesn't return the following year.
What to do. This is normal biennial behaviour, not a failure — look for self-sown seedlings nearby instead of replanting the same spot.
Popular varieties
Questions
Foxglove: is it hardy?
H7: Fully hardy anywhere in the UK. It survives below −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Possible for the first year at the rosette stage, but not ideal long-term — best planted out in the ground where it can self-seed.
Foxglove: when do you prune it?
Cut the main flower spike after flowering to encourage a second, smaller flush of side shoots, or leave it to set seed if self-seeding is wanted.
Foxglove: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in May–July.
When do you feed it?
Needs no feeding — it grows in woodland edge and disturbed ground, and a rich soil gives a taller spike that blows over in the first summer storm.