PlantFiles: Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea

I have had these foxgloves for three years now. Last year I spread many seeds around and relocated many of the strays that started showing up late in the fall last year where I didn't want them. Of these transplanted plants, three of them gave me very uncharacteristic top flowers this year. I've posted two images of these. The flowers weren't particularly uniform. It did look like an anomaly but could anyone explain why it happened - and to three different plants the same year? I haven't seen anyone else here post images of this anomaly but I have found others online.

August 2012.
This is the first year that we are growing this plant. To our surprise it bloomed already! In fact, it continues to show additional stalks with gorgeous blooms continually. It being bienual, we hope that selfseeding will prolong our enjoyment of this beautiful specimen for years to come. incidentaly, we live in South Ontario, Canada.

It is also known as Dead Man's Thimbles. Pieces of the leaf can be added to vases of cut flowers to prolong their life.

I love this invasive plant, it's beautiful and is enjoyed by a lot of our native wildlife. It's important to note that it deadly poisonous. Children drinking water from a vase with this plant have died. As little as 0.5 gram of a dried plant can kill a healthy adult. Care needs to be taken with the seeds. The dried plant pods can sort of explode in your face causing severe health problems for some people.

Stratification aids germination of seeds.

Just added this to my plot some weeks ago & it has already produced 3-4 stalks full of blooms. The only downside is that the stalks themselves are not strong enough to support the blooms, so they are so bent over they touch the ground. No worries there as they make a nice cut flower to bring indoors, and there are always more coming! FYI the area gets watered by sprinkler 3-4 nights a week. Hope so see more self-seeded!

I was pleasantly surprised to see this plant growing in my area which is within zone 10. I bought this plant when it was already in bloom and it continues to flower now (a good two months later) albeit with much smaller blooms. Hummingbirds are also fond of this plant. Nevertheless, I rate it as neutral because it requires a LOT of water.

Wont grow here in zone 10b. A word of warning though, this plant is listed in the materia medica as being medicinal and poisonous. Even one or two leaves ingested will slow the heart. If an animal or a child chews on this plant it can cause death! Fortunatly it tastes very bitter and causes irritation of the mucous membranes in the mouth, actually causing pain and swelling. It also causes diarrehoea, nausea and vomiting, so if it does get in, it soon comes out! Because of these factors, it is not really a problem for wildlife, human or otherwise! However if you ever find a child who has been around this plant with symptoms of oral irritation, grab a stem or two and get to the emergancy room!

Wonderful perennial! I started with about 10 of these back in 1997, and I couldn't begin to count how many I have now. Most bloom in late June / July here, but I've found that if you cut the first stem after it's done blooming, it will rebloom.

If you would like to increase your number substantially, wait until the stalk has gone completely brown - this can be hard because they can become an eyesore as they age. I usually save this for my most beautiful blossoms only and cut the rest back (as above) to get a second bloom. Once the stem and seed pods have gone brown, carefully cut the stem and shake it over the area you would like to have more growing in. By the end of the season you will see dozens of new plants starting for next year!

I have found the baby foxglove to be easy to transplant - some even grow in nothing more than a little mulch! To move, simply use a gardening fork or digging tool and carefully go under the plant about 3" and "scoop" it up. Try to get as many roots as you can. Place it in loosened moist garden soil and tamp down - it will do the rest! I've moved them all over our property in this way. We have a very moist location and they take root quickly and do beautifully in their new locations!

One note - you need to plant these in moist situations if you want them to come back. I have a friend that I give usually a dozen to each spring - she has had no luck having them reseed (although they bloom quite well). I believe the problem is that she uses raised beds, which tend to be on the well drained side - where my garden is moist, but well drained (slope). Even those growing only in mulch along my front walkway are shaded from sun and the area stays more on the moist side. So if you have a really dry situation, you may not have as good a luck.

JobyKay: if there was one nearby last year; you might have at least 30 to 50 of them this year; quite possibly even over 100 of them! Don't start plucking them up just yet; let them grow up because they are so beautiful. If you can recognize them in their younger stages try to dig them up and replant them where you want them, in an enclosed area. One healthy stalk(ful) can produce a large quantity of seeds and off-spring!
Then when all the flowers are faded, and all of the seed pods are still on the stalks, you can cut and remove the stalks. Make sure you bring a good pair of shears and a large 'Paper' grocery or shopping bag with you. You need not wait for them to 'dry up' first; that could let them easily re-seed fast if your not paying close attention and have other things to do. Make sure you place them in the paper bag upside down (topside in first) so no seeds can escape. These pods will dry up and crack open very fast releasing very many 'large dust like' seeds; you can use these seeds to give away to people who would like some, or 'trade' with for other seeds - 'a good idea;' and you can even save some for next year to plant where 'you' want them to grow. This method will help you to control 'the popping up from eveywhere.'
But be assured, you probably will still find _loose_ ones around for a while some times many years afterwards.
You may not be able to corral them this year. So try to fence them in this year. I've never seen a deer, squirrel, or raccoon die from them, although they didn't stay on the property to long (the dog barking.) But I think the pods and seeds eaten in a great quantity, would make any creature ill. Animals can eat things that humans cannot, and some animals don't know when to stop eating.
I actually go out each day and remove the pods (dead head) when I see the flowers fall off, just to keep them from going where they shouldn't. This does not hurt the plant nor the pods. As you can see the pods and the way they are on the picture that I posted. (I'll take a day or 2.) I had let those ones stay on the plant and removed pods that were lower on that stalk. I removed the ones in the picture after I took the photo, and the plant is still alive. Pinch the pods off with your fingernails or use a small scissor; clip it off right behind the pod and leave the 'little tail' that goes back to the plant on. If you have the patience, clip the 'little tail' at mid-point.

HTH - if not email me through my member-profile page. RIM
Zone: 5a, Deposit, NYState

I did not plant these, but they have started coming up everywhere this year. I like them, but I am worried about the deer & moose. I live where they are thick. I am still finding the plants everywhere. It is the end of June in NH & they are still blooming. They are beautiful!

this plant has come back for me every year. In fact, if the winter is not too harsh, it does not even die down all the way. It has been blooming consistently for me for over two months now.

The common foxglove is a beauty to add to any garden and many hybrids are now on the market to suit anyone's taste. Plants form rosettes of hairy lance shaped leaves in their first growing season. The second year it will send up large spikes with drooping bell shaped blooms that are sometimes spotted inside. Shades of purple are the most common but pink, white, and yellow are also available.