Foxglove is a biennial (that sometimes behaves like an annual and sometimes like an herbaceous perennial). It is native to western Europe and Morocco and is a member of the plantain family (Plantaginaceae). The species epithet is Latin for “purple,” referring to the most common flower color. It prefers moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter that should not be allowed to dry out, as periods of drought stress will limit flower production. Foxglove does best with afternoon shade. It is a biennial, having only a rosette of leaves the first year. In the second year, a tall spike appears with showy blooms on a densely packed one-sided raceme. Deadhead after flowering to avoid excessive numbers of seedlings, but some flowers must be allowed to form seeds if the population is to persist. Use to add a vertical dimension to the perennial flower bed. They are attractive in front of walls and shrubs and planted in mass. They are the perfect cottage garden plant, but they also fit eill in a pollinator garden or shade garden. Quick ID Hints : Perennial herb with basal rosette of downy leaves Terminal raceme of large pendulous flowers Corolla tube inflated, funnel-form bell-shaped Inner tube whitish with purplish edging & spots Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Fungal diseases and aphids, Japanese beetles, and mealy bugs are problems.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'digitalis-purpurea'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 66-attribute toolbox scrape.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Dense; Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Cuneate; Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Crenate
Leaf feel
Velvety
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The first year it forms a tight rosette of coarse leaves with prominent veins that are up to a foot long and covered with gray-white hairs on the upper surface and are wooly or hairy below. The clump remains low and close to the ground. In the second year, an upright flower stem with smaller leaves is produced from the center of the basal clump. Alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate, rugose, acute, broad cuneate to subtorund, pubescent; basal leaves long petiolate, petiole and blade reducing upward on cauline leaves.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Funnel; Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Blooms grow on tall spikes as a 1-sided raceme with blooms closely grouped together. They are 2-3 inch long tubular flowers and come in multiple colors of white, pinks and purple with purple and white spots inside the petals. An elongate, terminal raceme, 1-2' long to sparcely branched, bracteate, with flowers subsecund, borne on one side, or borne around the rachis in some hybrids. Flowers are large, nodding, purple to pale pink or white, mauve or yellowish in some hybrids; corolla tube inflated, campanulate, 1.5-2" long, tube inside ciliate, usually heavily marked with white, edged darker purple maculation, lobes 4, upper lip shorter than lower lip.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Rounded fruit capsule which splits open at maturity to release the numerous small brown, ridged seeds.
Stem color
Green
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe
Wildlife value
Nectar attracts bumblebees and hummingbirds.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Uses (ethnobotany)
Was used to treat heart conditions, but is highly poisonous if used incorrectly.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Rock Wall; Vertical Spaces; Woodland
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting; Small groups
Garden tags
#purple #poisonous #biennial #pollinator plant #nectar plant spring #bumblebee friendly #hummingbird friendly #deer resistant #fantz #spring interest #butterfly friendly #summer flowers #pink flowers #problem for dogs #problem for horses #problem for cats #full sun tolerant #partial shade tolerant #white flowers #spotted leaves #perennial #annual #wildlife friendly #HS304 #dye plant
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Children; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Resistant to
Deer; Rabbits
Particularly resistant to
Browsing by deer, contains a chemical that deer avoid.
Propagation
Seed
Poison severity
High
Poison parts
Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Stems
Poison symptoms
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, severe headache, irregular and slow pulse, tremors, unusual color visions, convulsions, Cardiac arrhythmias, death
Toxic principle
cardiac glycosides
Contact dermatitis
No
Toxicity summary
High severity poison; parts: Flowers; Leaves; Roots; Stems