'Sugar Plum' Foxglove (Digitalis)
Perennial
- Dark purple throats are eye-catching!
- Excellent for cottage, cut flower, or pollinator gardens.
- Deer-resistant, container friendly, and easy to grow.
- Zones 4-9, part sun to sun, 3' tall and 1' wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Foxgloves are long-blooming perennials with specialized flowers designed perfectly for pollinators. The bell-shaped blooms have small spots on their lower lip, guiding pollinators straight to their pollen and nectar. It serves as a landing strip for bees, who are the perfect size to crawl into the flowers. But don't be surprised when you see hummingbirds and butterflies visiting the flowers as well! While it has always been a staple in cottage, pollinator, and cut flower gardens, it recently resurged in popularity among home gardeners (and for a good reason). This perennial is deer and rabbit-resistant, container-friendly, low-maintenance, and easy to grow, making it easy to love.
This foxglove is a short-lived biennial, meaning it only lives for two years. It only produces foliage in its first year, then blooms in the second year. Continuously grow them by allowing the plants to self-seed. Caution: they are highly toxic if ingested by humans or animals.
Details
Common name: Foxglove
Zone: 4 - 9
Sun exposure: Sun (> 6 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun)
Height x width: 3.5' x 2'
Flower color: Shades of pink
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
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.
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:
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:
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.