Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove) – Hardy Cottage Garden Plant (12 x 9cm Pots)

Foxgloves give tall, dramatic flower spikes that bees love, and this collection brings you 12 Digitalis purpurea plants for a classic cottage garden look. You receive 12 plants, each in its own 9cm pot, ready to plant into borders and beds.

Foxgloves are a British garden favourite, and they are hardy outdoors all year. They form a rosette of large, softly textured leaves, then send up elegant spires of spotted, bell-shaped flowers. Most foxgloves flower in their second year, then set seed and self-sow, so they come back year after year. They suit a shady border, a cottage-style planting scheme or a wilder, naturalised corner of the garden, and the flower spikes also last well when cut.

Plant them in partial or full shade in moist, well-drained soil, and water well after planting and during dry spells in the first season. Leave the spent flower heads to set seed for future seasons, or deadhead if you want to extend flowering. Flower colour varies across the collection, with classic shades of purple, pink, white and cream. If you need a specific colour, please check the individual variety listings.

Every part of a foxglove is highly poisonous if eaten, so plant with care and wash your hands after handling.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Foxglove, Common Foxglove
• Botanical Name: Digitalis purpurea
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: Approx. 100-150cm tall and 30-45cm wide (variety dependent)
• Growth Habit: Upright, tall flower spikes above a basal rosette of leaves
• Perfect For: Cottage gardens, woodland borders, wildflower areas and shady borders
• Foliage: Large, softly textured, mid-green basal leaves
• Flowering Time: Late spring to midsummer
• Flower Colour: Mixed purple, pink, white and cream
• Planting Position: Partial shade to full shade
• Soil Type: Moist, well-drained soil
• Hardiness: Fully hardy outdoors in Britain
• Seasonal Interest: Spring to summer
• Type: Hardy biennial or short-lived perennial, often self-seeding to return each year