Few plants capture the magic of an old cottage garden quite like Foxglove. This stunning biennial or short-lived perennial forms a handsome, low-growing rosette of large, lance-shaped, woolly, grey-green leaves in its first year. Then comes the spectacle in year two: towering, unbranched stems that can reach up to 1.5m tall, clothed in numerous pendulous, trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of purple, pink, rose, white, or peach. Each bloom is heavily spotted inside with darker colours, creating a mesmerising, fairy-like effect. The flowering period runs mainly from spring to early summer.
Native to western Europe and northwestern Africa, Foxglove has found a welcome home in South African gardens. It thrives in full sun to partial shade, but in the Western Cape, it’s best suited to morning sun with afternoon shade—especially in hotter inland gardens, as it appreciates protection from harsh direct sun. It prefers fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil kept consistently moist but not waterlogged. In our climate, it performs best as a biennial or cool-season annual, sown in autumn for a spectacular spring display. It’s hardy to moderate frost but may need protection in colder inland valleys.
Key Features:
- Tall, elegant stems adorned with pendent, speckled tubular blooms in purple, pink, rose, or white
- Provides striking vertical structure and old-fashioned romance to borders
- Nectar-rich flowers are highly attractive to bees, especially bumblebees
- Thrives in partial shade and moist, humus-rich soil
Gardening Note: Plant in well-drained, humus-rich, acidic soil in full sun to partial shade. Water regularly and consistently—do not let the soil dry out. In its first year, it produces only a low rosette of leaves, with flower spikes appearing in the second year. Remove spent spikes after blooming to encourage a secondary flush or leave a few to self-seed.
