Common Foxglove

How to grow Common Foxglove

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

A biennial: it makes a leaf rosette in its first year and flowers in its second, then usually dies. Sow in early summer for flowers the following year, or buy second-year plants for immediate effect.

Happiest at a woodland edge — shade for the roots, light overhead. It self-seeds freely once established, which is the easiest way to keep a colony going.

Pruning

Cut the main spike once the lower flowers have faded and side shoots often follow with a smaller second flush. Leave one or two spikes to set seed if you want the colony to continue; deadhead everything if you do not.

Propagation

From seed, which is fine as dust — sow on the surface and do not cover, as it needs light to germinate. Press onto moist compost and keep it from drying out.

Pests and diseases

Generally trouble-free. Leaf spot and powdery mildew can appear in a dry summer; slugs will graze young rosettes.

Value to wildlife

Excellent for long-tongued bumblebees, which are well matched to the tubular flowers. A staple of a shady wildlife border.

Some structured details on this page (such as tolerances, pH and hardiness) come from USDA PLANTS Database (public domain). The written guidance is GardenDecoded's own, researched as described in our editorial policy.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Digitalis purpurea but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Digitalis