All media depicts mature plants.

'Giant Shirley' Foxglove (Digitalis)

Perennial

3 total reviews

  • Giant bell-shaped flowers range in color from white to purple!
  • Blooms are a magnet to pollinators.
  • Easy to grow and deer-resistant biennial.
  • Perfect for a cottage garden.
  • Zones 4-9, part sun/sun, 3′ tall x 2′ wide at maturity.
  • ZONE
  • EXPOSURE
  • HEIGHT
Size: One Quart
Regular price $16.99
Sale price Sale: $16.99 Regular price Each
Total: $16.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Notify Me When Available
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee
Hand-Picked at Our Greenhouse
Shipped to Your Door
Arrives as a Young Plant
60 Day Risk-Free Guarantee

Description

‘Giant Shirley’ Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a favorite in cottage gardening with tall, elegant blooms. Spikes of bell-shaped flowers hover high above the foliage and boast a range of colors, including white, fuchsia, pink, and purple. The blooms are a magnet to pollinators. Small spots on the lower lip of the flowers guide pollinators straight to their sweet nectar. They're perfect for flower arrangements, as cutting the flowers encourages a second flush of blooms! This biennial will self-seed if flowers aren't cut, creating seedlings to take the parent's place eventually. It's easy to grow and deer resistant, making it a good fit for beginners. Try planting it along fences, as a perennial border, or in containers for extra charm!

Details

Botanical name: Digitalis purpurea 'Giant Shirley'
Common name: Foxglove
Zone: 4 - 9
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 3' x 2'
Flower color: Mixed colors - white, fuchsia, pink, purple.
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Summer
Bloom time: Summer
Features: Rabbit resistant, deer resistant, cold tolerant
Uses: Accent, background, border, cottage gardening, naturalizing, specimen, wildflower

How to Grow

Soil: Prefers average to sandy soil.
Light: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun).
Water: After establishment, water occasionally during the hot season.
Spacing: 18-24 inches
Fertilizing:  Lightly fertilize in the spring.
Maintenance & pruning: Cutting and creating cut flower bouquets helps to encourage a second flush of blooms. Once a week, deadhead or pinch flowers to tidy up your perennial bed.

Pollinator-Friendly Perennials to Keep Your Garden Buzzing

Pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystems, gardens, and especially our food chain. Flowers produce pollen as a means of reproduction. While there are so many pollinator-friendly plants to choose from, here are seven of our favorites. You’ll love them, and the pollinators will too.

Learn More

Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:

bush distance

Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:

bush distance zigzag

Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.

Plant Spacing Calculator

ft
ft
in
Plants Needed
Enter your dimensions above
Grid preview will appear here showing preview