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Best Foxgloves to Grow
Foxgloves are beautiful flowers that can add height, interest, and structure to your garden. They are also great for attracting wildlife, as long-tongued bees love to collect pollen and nectar from their tubular blooms.
There are many different varieties of foxgloves to choose from, so you can find the perfect ones for your garden. Here are 10 of the best foxgloves to grow:
- Digitalis x mertonensis: This perennial foxglove has large, pink-red blooms. It enjoys growing in moist, well-drained soil in full to partial shade.
- Digitalis parviflora: This hardy perennial foxglove has gorgeous, smokey orange blooms. It’s best grown in full sun or partial shade, in moist, well-drained soil.
- Digitalis grandiflora: This hardy perennial foxglove has large, warm-yellow flowers. It grows to around 80cm in height and makes a lovely cut flower. Grow Digitalis grandiflora in part shade in moist, well-drained soil.
- Digitalis purpurea subsp. heywoodii: This Iberian sub-species has unusual cultivars with downy foliage and stems. Digitalis purpurea subsp. heywoodii cultivars to grow include ‘Silver Fox’ and ‘Silver Cub’.
- Digitalis obscura: This perennial foxglove is native to mountainous regions of Spain, so it’s more suited to sunny, dry borders than other foxgloves. It’s a frost-hardy species that grows to around 1m tall.
- Digitalis canariensis: This shrubby, tender foxglove has blazing orange blooms and glossy, evergreen foliage. It looks right at home as part of an exotic border but will need protection from frost in winter.
- Digitalis ferruginea: This striking, elegant foxglove bears tightly packed, rusty orange flowers on tall stems. It’s a robust species that is tolerant of most spots, except soils that are excessively wet or dry.
- Digitalis lanata: This short-lived perennial foxglove has pale orange flowers. It grows to 60cm and enjoys a well-drained soil in full sun or part shade.
- Digitalis lutea: This delicate perennial foxglove has creamy-yellow flowers. It grows to around 60cm and enjoys a partially shaded spot in moist, well-drained soil.
- Digitalis purpurea: This is the UK’s native foxglove. The pure species is beautiful, but you can also choose from numerous cultivars.
No matter which foxgloves you choose to grow, you’re sure to enjoy their beauty and charm in your garden.
