Foxglove requires rich, moist soil that doesn’t dry out. The evergreen crowns resent standing water and may require winter protection (see page 117) in exposed northern areas. To increase your foxglove population, allow some spikes to produce seedpods. When stems turn brown, break open a few pods. If the seeds are brown, crush a few pods and shake the seeds onto moist, bare earth.
The common foxglove is native to Europe, but it has naturalized in many parts of the Northeast and Northwest. A large grove of these stately spires in bloom in a garden or along a roadside is a truly magnificent sight. Although a short-lived perennial, foxglove seeds itself freely in favorable conditions. Once established, colonies will regenerate themselves. Foxglove is easy to grow, and the sturdy flower stalks rise from low clumps of large leaves. The name “foxglove” is a corruption of “folks’ glove,” because the individual blossoms look like fingers cut from a glove. This plant, though toxic, has been used as a source of the powerful heart stimulant digitalis for over two hundred years.
ZONES: 4–10
BLOOM TIME: Late spring to early summer
LIGHT: Part shade
HEIGHT: 4–5 feet
INTEREST: Tall, elegant pinkish purple or white flower spikes
Foxglove belongs scattered in shade gardens and along shady roadsides that aren’t mowed until late summer. It can also be placed in more formal borders in the shade of large shrubs or small trees. It’s perfectly at home in a shaded “wild” garden. Because it is tall and the foliage at the base can look somewhat tattered toward summer’s end, locate foxglove behind shorter plants.