Digitalis purpurea Excelsior Group
foxglove
- Position:full sun to partial shade
- Soil: moist, humus-rich soil
- Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
- Flowering period: May to July
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Incredibly tall flower spikes appear throughout summer bearing large, tubular, purple, pink, creamy-yellow or white flowers, each with maroon or purple spotted throats. Try dotting these pastel-coloured foxgloves through the back of a large cottage-style border or leave them to self-seed and form clumps in a woodland setting. - Garden care:Lightly press the seed onto the surface of a well-watered seed compost in mid to late spring and keep in a cold frame. When large enough to handle, pot on into individual cells and once they have developed a decent basal rosette of foliage they can be hardened off before planting out. They will usually start to flower in their second year.
- Sow: March-May
- Flowering: June-July
- Approximate quantity: 1000 seeds.
- Humans/Pets: TOXIC if eaten
Goes well with
- When should I plant Delphiniums, Foxgloves and Hollyhocks, and what will I gett in a pot? Hi there, I have a brand new, small, garden (approx. 36' by 30') and am in the process of creating borders. I'm aiming for fairly deep borders as I would like loads of cottage garden flowers. I am thinking of having a few evergreen / deciduous shrubs here and there to form some permanent interest. My gardening knowledge is more or less at the 'beginner' stage so I need some advice please. Is it okay to plant the shrubs now as long as the ground isn't frozen? When should I plant the perennials and annuals? Spring time? When I order for example Hollyhocks, Delphiniums and Foxgloves, and what do I get in the pot? Is it one plant that will produce one flowerhead? If I wanted to make a big colour impact, would I need to order loads of each plant? I look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks, Lynn
-
Wilson Lynn
-
Hello Lynn, You can plant any fully hardy plant at any time of the year as long as the ground is not frozen, but the ideal times are spring or autumn. Annuals only live for 1 year, some will flower in winter, while others flower in summer, so the planting time will depend on what type they are. As for the herbaceous perennials, these can be planted anytime as long as they are hardy, you will get 1 plant per pot. Each plant and species will produce flowers in different way. The ones you mention will generally produce 1 main flowerspike and a couple of smaller side-shoots, and if you cut them back when they start to fade you can often encourage a second flush later in the year. Finally then, if you want big impact, then yes you will need a lot of plants. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor
Wilson Lynn
- Which plants are Deer proof? I want a list of Deer proof plants please. It`s either a change in habitat or environment, but I get total devastation now and in the last two years they come up the drive.
-
david
-
Deer can be a real problem and deer proof plants are usually thorny, poisonous or simply taste awful, but it is hard to give a definitive list as you might get the odd deer with unusual tastes which might like the bitter taste! Below is a list of good plants that generally are quite successful though. Cornus varieties, Rhus, Sophora, Solanum, Berberis, Rosemary, Buxus, Cotoneaster, Ilex, Pyracantha, Garrya, Juniperus, Nandina, Elaeagnus, Aralia, Aucuba, Cortaderia, Yucca, Santolina, Hypericum, Myrtle, Vinca, Achillea, Digitalis, Echinacea and Dryopteris. Finally, fencing is one method to protect garden crops from deer. Since deer jump, you need an 8-foot fence for best results or stout chicken-wire fencing securely around smaller garden plots. Alternatively, fence the area with a thorny shrub, preferably something that will grow to at least 6 feet. Deer eat roses and some thorns but hawthorn, boxwood and holly will exclude them. Deer are also deterred by dogs, hanging aluminum foil, mirrors, wood that hits objects in the wind and other noise-makers. Some old-fashioned repellents are human hair and blood and bonemeal. Hanging bars of fragrant deodorant soap from branches may work. Other well-known deer repellents are mothballs or moth flakes spread on the ground or put in mesh bags for hanging in a tree. Unfortunately though, no repellent is 100 percent effective, especially if the deer population is high and deer are starving.
Crocus
- What can I plant that the deers won't eat? What types of plants do deer not like? If you could help me out I could greatly appreciate it.
-
Kelly L. Sliker
-
Deer can be a real problem and deer proof plants are usually thorny, poisonous or simply taste awful. It is hard to give a definitive list as you might get the odd deer with unusual taste which might like a bitter taste, but the following is a list of plants that generally are quite successful. Cornus varieties, Rhus, Sophora, Solanum, Berberis, Rosemary, Buxus, Cotoneaster, Ilex, Pyracantha, Garrya, Juniperus, Nandina, Eleagnus, Aralia, Aucuba, Cortaderia, Yucca, Santolina, Hypericum, Myrtle, Vinca, Achillea, Digitalis, Echinacea and Dryopteris. Finally fencing is one method to protect garden crops from deer. Since deer jump, you need an 8-foot fence for best results or stout chicken-wire fencing securely around smaller garden plots. Alternatively, fence the area with a thorny shrub, preferably something that will grow to at least 6 feet. Deer do eat roses and some other thorns but hawthorn, boxwood and holly tend to keep them out. Deer are also deterred by dogs, hanging aluminum foil, mirrors, wood that hits objects in the wind and other noise-makers. Some old-fashioned repellents are human hair and blood and bonemeal. Hanging bars of fragrant deodorant soap from branches may work. Other well-known deer repellents are mothballs or moth flakes spread on the ground or put in mesh bags for hanging in a tree. Unfortunately though, no repellent is 100 percent effective, especially if the deer population is high and deer are starving.
Crocus
Cottage garden
The traditional cottage garden was an intensive, yet carefree mixture of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers all crowded into a tiny space. Today, this informal charm can be recreated using modern varieties that largely take care of themselves around an
Read full articleTown
Create an ‘outside room’ that overcomes the three challenges of shade, exposure and lack of space using uplifting, shade-tolerant shrubs, perennials and bulbs. A sense of seclusion can be achieved with decorative screens and trellis covered in deciduous,
Read full articleWater garden
Who can resist the allure of water in the garden? The gentle gurgle of a running stream creates a sense of calm and tranquillity, while a simple pond makes a focal point with magnetic appeal. You can create lush and natural-looking planting to show off th
Read full articleWoodland
A sanctuary of peace and tranquillity with an overwhelming sense of calm, a woodland garden is an ideal place to get away from it all with natural shade and privacy. Based on a simple grouping of trees or even a single, multi-stemmed specimen, a woodland-
Read full articleFoxgloves

Foxgloves are one of the most distinctive garden plants with their tall spires of tubular flowers evocative of the quintessential cottage garden and childhood summers. They flower in mid-summer and can reach up to 2m, rising from a low-growing circle of s
Read full articleDaylily

These lovely plants produce a succession of lily-like flowers each of which lasts for just one day. At first, this seems rather disappointing, but they are such bright, exotic flowers and produced in such profusion that this isn't actually a drawback. In
Read full articleDeer
Deer eat a wide range of plants and usually visit the garden between dusk and dawn. Sometimes the deer have a particular taste for flowers and will eat tulip blooms, but usually it is whole shoots that are lost. Tree trunks and branches may also be damage
Read full articleGet more flowers
Deadheading will prevent them setting seed and so use their energy producing a further flush of blooms later on. Plants that respond well to deadheading include annuals such as Ageratum, Alyssum, Antirrhinum, Calendula, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dahlia, foxglove
Read full articleThe Chelsea Chop (and other methods of extending the flowering season)
Many gardeners who are happy, even gung-ho, with the secateurs when pruning shrubs and climbers are surprisingly reluctant to take the shears to herbaceous perennials. Maybe this is because it just doesn't seem quite right to be cutting back all that new
Read full articlePlanting companions for roses
Early flowering roses tend to come in shades of white, pink or purple-pink and most forms of the biennial foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, have toning flowers in similar colours. These appear in rose time, but carry on after the first rose flush has finished
Read full articleHow to use those dreamy flower spires
There's one garden essential that brings a planting scheme to life and it's upright flower spikes that soar heavenwards. They add drama and perspective to all your other planting and, as they open from the bottom upwards, each spire offers a glorious co
Read full article