How to grow foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Digitalis purpurea · common foxglove

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) — a biennial woodland flower, 0.6–1.5 m tall, that makes only a rosette of downy leaves in its first year and in the second sends up a one-sided spike of hanging, tubular pinkish-purple or white flowers spotted inside. All parts are highly poisonous to people, and to cats, dogs and horses. Foxglove grows best in partial shade. Water it about every 7 days while it grows.

Updated: October 28, 2026

When to sow foxglove?

Sow for seedlings about 11 weeks before planting out.

It tolerates light frost: plant out in open ground about three weeks before your last spring frost.

It flowers about 440 days after the shoots appear and keeps flowering for about 45 days.

Frost dates · When to plant

Quick facts

Type	Flower
Latin name	Digitalis purpurea
Family	Plantaginaceae
Also called	common foxglove
Planted as	seed
How it is started	from seedlings
Life span	grown for one season
Planting season	spring
Light	Partial shade
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 5 °C
Germination	17 days
Pricking out	14 days after the shoots appear
Seedlings ready	60 days
First flowers	440 days after the shoots appear
Flowering lasts	45 days
Grown in	Open ground, At home

How long does foxglove take from sowing to flowering?

From sowing to the first flowers: about 457 days, or 65 weeks.

Step	Day
Sowing	0
Shoots appear	17
Pricking out	31
Seedlings ready to plant out	77
First flowers	457
End of flowering	502

Days count from the day of sowing or planting, by the figures of the card.

Where does foxglove grow?

568,559 records of the plant in gardens, fields and the wild worldwide; most photos come from United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, United States, and France.

World map: where foxglove has been recorded — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: Jane Scarfe, Ollie, Gareth Morton, janet_phi, Noah Strycker, nitsuga74, 鄭雪雲, Reiner Richter (CC BY / CC0).

Foxglove, United Kingdom — Darker green means more records. Photos are real observations from those countries — tap one to see it. Map and records: GBIF.org (2026-10-28), © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap. Photo: Jane Scarfe, Ollie, Gareth Morton, janet_phi, Noah Strycker, nitsuga74, 鄭雪雲, Reiner Richter (CC BY / CC0).

Foxglove care by growth stage

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 7 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	—	—
Growth	every 3 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 3 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Dappled or light shade, as in a woodland glade; afternoon shade is best. It tolerates full sun if the soil stays moist.

Soil

Moist but free-draining soil rich in organic matter, on the acid side; it grows in almost any soil except very wet or very dry. Dig in leafmould or garden compost before planting.

Care

Sow in spring on the surface of the compost without covering the seed — it needs light — and expect seedlings in two to three weeks. Plant out 30–35 cm apart; crowded rosettes wait another year to flower. Keep new plants watered for the first months, after that only in long dry spells; pots need regular watering. Protect young plants from slugs and snails. Cut the spent spike at the base to stop seeding, but leave a few to self-sow if you want new plants every year — a plant usually dies after flowering. Wear gloves when handling plants and seed. Watch for aphids on the spikes, and powdery and downy mildew.

Pests and diseases of Foxglove

1 problem is recorded for foxglove; it has a page with symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Diseases

Downy Mildew

Other plants of the Plantaginaceae family

Foxglove belongs to Plantaginaceae; 1 other plant of this family has a guide here.

SnapdragonAntirrhinum majus

Plant lists it is in

Part of: Garden flowers · Annual flowers from seed · Flowers for shade · Hardy annuals

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.