Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove

Described as a biennial or short-lived perennial, the common Foxglove is always assured of making a stately feature in the garden. Plants develop into a basal rosette of grey-green, woolly leaves. Tall flower spikes, often exceeding 1 metre in height, emerge in spring and early summer bearing bell-shaped flowers on one side.

Flower colours vary from white to cream, shades of pink and purple, and sometimes with conspicuous spots in the throat of each bloom. Foxgloves prefer cool climatic conditions and do best when planted out as seedlings in early autumn. To be cultivated successfully they require rich, loamy soils and cool root zones.