Foxglove

Foxglove grows throughout Europe and North America and is a common wild flower in temperate climates throughout the world, seeding freely in woods and hedgerows.

The principal common name probably derives from the Anglo-Saxon 'foxglue' or 'foxmusic', after the shape of a musical instrument. Judging by its other names it would seem that it was also thought to be a fairy's plant or a goblin's plant, at least in England. Its appearance - its height, the glove shape of the corolla, and the poison of its leaves - seems somehow to beg for its own folklore.

In 1542, Fuchs called it Digitalis after the finger-like shape of its flowers but he considered! A violent medicine and it was not until the late 18th century that William Withering used foxglove tea in Shropshire for dropsy that its reputation as a medicinal herb grew. Commercial production of digitalis now takes place mainly in south-east Europe.

Species

There are many extremely attractive species and cultivars. One of the national collections is held by The Botanic Nursery, Atworth, in Wiltshire.

Digitalis grandiflora (Digitalis ambigua)

Yellow Foxglove

Hardy evergreen perennial. Ht 75cm (30in), spread 30cm (12in). Creamy yellow, downward pointing, tubular flowers all summer.  Smooth, strongly veined leaves.

Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove (wild, common)

Shortlived perennial, grown as a biennial. Ht 1-1.5m (3-5ft), spread 60cm (2ft). Flowers all shades of pink, purple and red in summer.

Rough, mid- to dark green leaves.

Digitalis purpurea F. albiflora

White Foxglove

Shortlived perennial, grown as a biennial. Ht 1-1.5m (3-5ft), spread 30-45cm (12-18in). Tubular white flowers all summer. Rough, mid- to dark green leaves.

Cultivation

Propagation

The seed is very small and fine. Sow in either spring or autumn as carefully as possible, using the cardboard method, either directly onto the prepared 1    ground, or into pots or plug trays. Sow on the surface; do not cover with Perlite, but with a piece of glass, which should be removed as soon as the seedlings appear. No bottom heat required.

Pests and Diseases

Foxgloves, on the whole, are pest and disease free.

Maintenance

Spring: Sow seeds. Plant out first-year plants.

Summer: Remove main flowering shoot after flowering.

Autumn: Check round second-year plants for self-sown seedlings, thin out if over-crowded, and remove if not required. Pot up a few in case of an exceptionally hard winter.

Winter: In the majority of cases no protection needed.

Garden Cultivation

This is one of the most poisonous plants in the flora. Foxgloves will grow in most conditions, even dry exposed sites, but do best in semi-shade and a moist but well-drained acid soil enriched with leaf mould. The rosettes and leaves are formed the first year and the flower spike the second. The plant then dies but usually leaves lots of self-sown babies nearby. Water well in dry weather and remove the centre spike after flowering to increase the size of the flowers on the side shoots.

If you live in a cold climate -10°C (14°F) protect during the first winter. Use agricultural fleece, straw, bracken or pine needles. In areas where the soil is damp and cold, it is advisable to lift the plants for the first winter and keep them in a cold frame, replanting the following spring.

Harvest

This is not advised unless you are an herbalist or a pharmacist.

Medicinal

Foxgloves are grown commercially for the production of a drug the discovery (a major medical breakthrough) of which is a classic example of a productive marriage between folklore and scientific curiosity. Foxgloves contain glycosides which are extracted from second-year leaves to make the heart drug digitalis. For more than 200 years digitalis has provided the main drug for treating heart failure. It is also a powerful diuretic. Although a synthetic form of the drug has been developed, the plant is still grown commercially for the drug industry.

Container growing

These tall elegant plants do not honestly suit growing in containers. It is possible, but care has to be taken that the plant is not damaged in winds. Use soil-based compost. Water regularly.