Common Foxglove is a striking biennial or short-lived perennial that commands attention with its towering spires of tubular flowers reaching 2 to 4 feet tall, occasionally even 5 feet. The pendant blooms arrive in shades of dark rose-pink to purple, often white, with distinctive purple and white spots decorating the interior of each flower. Hardy in zones 4 through 8, this cottage garden classic thrives in part shade with organically rich, acidic soil and moderate moisture. Hummingbirds and butterflies flock to its nectar-rich flowers from May through July, while the plant's frost-hardy nature and drought tolerance once established make it surprisingly low-maintenance despite its dramatic appearance.
Partial Sun
Moderate
4-8
60in H x 18in W
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Moderate
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Pendulous flowers crowded densely along one-sided spikes create an architectural drama that few garden plants match. The interior spotting of each 2 to 3-inch bloom serves as a nectar guide for pollinators, drawing hummingbirds and butterflies in waves throughout the blooming season. These flowers hold their beauty in arrangements and tolerate the lean, acidic soils where many perennials struggle, thriving in part shade conditions that would disappoint sun-demanding plants.
Common Foxglove earns its place in gardens as a naturalized species that self-seeds readily under favorable conditions, creating successive waves of blooms across seasons. The tall spires and showy flowers make exceptional fresh cut arrangements, lasting well in the vase. Gardeners grow it to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, establishing it as a keystone plant in pollinator gardens throughout temperate regions.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
For annual flowering, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. Sow on the surface or barely cover seeds, as they need light to germinate. Maintain soil temperature between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Transplant seedlings outdoors after the threat of frost has passed. This method can produce flowering plants within 5 months from seeding.
Harden off indoor-started seedlings over 7 to 10 days before moving them permanently outside. Transplant after the last frost date into soil enriched with organic matter. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart. If direct-seeding outdoors, allow the basal rosette of light green, oblong leaves to overwinter as evergreen foliage; flowers will emerge from this rosette the following spring.
Sow seeds directly in the garden in spring after the threat of frost has passed. Press seeds onto the soil surface; they require light to germinate and should not be buried. Keep soil consistently moist until seedlings establish. The first year produces only a low rosette of leaves; flowering occurs in year two.
Deadhead spent flower spikes throughout the blooming season to extend flowering into July and beyond. Cut spikes below the withered flowers, leaving the leafy basal rosette intact. If you wish to encourage self-seeding, allow the final flowers on each spike to mature and set seed before removing the spike entirely.
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