Are foxgloves poisonous?

Yes — all parts are highly toxic to humans, dogs, cats, and grazing animals. The plant contains cardiac glycosides (digoxin and digitoxin) — the same compounds used to make heart medicines. Eating any part can cause irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and in severe cases cardiac arrest. Even handling can transfer compounds to your eyes. Three precautions. (1) Wash hands after handling. (2) Warn children — flowers are visually tempting. (3) Avoid planting near vegetable gardens (the leaves can be confused with comfrey or borage by inexperienced foragers). The toxicity doesn't reduce in dried plant material.

Do foxgloves come back every year?

Most are biennial — flower in year two, then die. But foxgloves self-seed prolifically, so an established planting perpetuates indefinitely without effort. Each year there will be year-one rosettes (no flowers) and year-two flower spikes. For continuous display: let one or two plants set seed each year (don't deadhead them) and the colony self-renews. Perennial foxgloves: Digitalis lanata, D. grandiflora are true perennials with smaller yellow flowers — separate species, longer-lived. The popular Camelot series of cultivars often flower in year one and live 2–3 seasons.

When do I plant or sow foxgloves?

Two windows. Direct sow seed May–July for plants that produce a rosette in year one and flower the following May–July. Plant young plants (1 L pots) in autumn (September–October) or spring (March–April) for either rosettes that flower the following year, or established plants that may flower the same year (especially Camelot series). The summer sowing window matches how foxgloves naturally self-seed in UK woodlands.

Why didn't my foxgloves flower this year?

Almost certainly because they're in year one of the biennial cycle. Foxgloves form a rosette of leaves in year one (no flowers) and the tall flowering spike in year two. Be patient — they'll flower next May–July. If you want year-one flowering, plant the Camelot series of cultivars which are bred for first-year bloom. Other causes of no flowers: deep shade (move to lighter position), or very dry soil (water in extended droughts).

How do I keep foxgloves going year after year?

Three approaches, all easy. (1) Self-seeding: let one or two plants set seed each year — they'll perpetuate the colony indefinitely. (2) Direct sow new seed every summer in May–July; in 2 years you'll have a continuous cycle. (3) Plant new young plants every autumn or spring — buy from a garden centre or grow from seed. Most UK gardeners do a combination: let some plants self-seed, sow extra seed where you want new colonies, and occasionally buy a special cultivar to add colour variety.

Are foxgloves good for wildlife?

Outstanding for bumblebees. The long tubular flowers are specifically adapted for large bumblebees (especially queens), who push their way inside to reach the nectar at the bottom of the tube. Buff-tailed bumblebee and garden bumblebee are the main UK visitors — you'll hear them buzzing inside the flowers. Foxgloves are also a useful larval food plant for the foxglove pug moth. Don't grow foxgloves near beehives though — the small honeybees can get trapped inside the deep flowers.

Dedalera

Digitalis purpurea

Sow foxglove direct from May to July, or plant young plants in autumn or spring, in light to medium shade in moist soil — they're a UK native biennial that produces a rosette of leaves in year one and spectacular spires of tubular flowers in year two before dying. Foxgloves are hardy (RHS H7) and self-seed prolifically, perpetuating themselves indefinitely once established. All parts are highly toxic — the source of the heart drug digoxin; never eat any part, wash hands after handling, and warn children. Bumblebees adore the tubular pink-purple-white flowers and disappear inside them. Cut the main spike off after flowering to encourage smaller side-spikes (extending the season into August), or leave it to set seed if you want self-sown next-generation plants. Excellent at the back of a border or in a wild woodland edge.

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