Digitalis Purpurea biennial
by Charlotte J. Crockett

Foxgloves belong to the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae
Zone: 4 - 9
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade
Height: 2 to 5 feet
Soil: well-drained soil
colors: purple, pink or white (pastel shades)
Propagation: Seed
Blooms: Summer
Names called: foxglove, thimbleflower, fairy-caps, fairy-petticoats, fairyflower and little folk glove.

I first found that I loved foxglove in my Oma's garden. As a child I often played with the blooms, making little hats out of them to put on my doll babies.

Foxglove, is originally from Europe. It now grows wild in the United States where it has naturalized itself quite happily. It doesn't grow to well in areas that have high humidity such as southern Florida and along the Gulf Coast. It loves full sun but will tolerate partial shade. In hotter climates foxglove will do better if planted in partial shade. Snails and slugs can be a problem. It will grow in any well-drained soil. Seeds need light to germinate. Start seeds in early summer so that the plants can be planted before frost. For the first winter cover your young transplants with a mulch like pine needles, hay or mulch. Foxglove will reseed if seeds are allowed to remain on the stalk.

This plant is associated with fairies. Legend has it that fairies use to give the blossoms to foxes to wear as gloves. That way they wouldn't get caught stealing chickens. This is how the name foxglove came about. Legend also says that foxglove got its name from it being known ages ago by "Little Folk Glove." According to this legend the blooms are worn by fairies as hats and gloves. So, depending on which story you like is how foxglove got it's name. Another legend, more superstition than anything was, if you picked a foxglove you would offend the fairies or that the juice of the foxglove would help you get your baby back if the fairies stole it.

The dried leaf of Digitalis Purpurea is where the heart medication Digitalis is made from. It is the leading cardiac drug for heart failure. In 1775, Dr William Withering was told from a Mrs. Hutton, a medical herbalist of that time, about a patient she cured of heart failure. Today pharmaceutical companies make synthetic versions of it for use. It has been found that the synthetic version is more toxic than the dried leaf.

Special Note:
Herbalists do not use Foxglove because of its reputed toxic effects. They use several other remedies such as Hawthorn and Lily of the Valley. Digitalis is not prescribed by medical herbalists. Digitalis is not recommended for domestic use. It is available only on a doctor's prescription.

There is a perennial version of foxglove, D. grandiflora, commonly called Yellow Foxglove. This foxglove will bloom from seed the first year as well as the second. It will also reseed itself in your garden if the seeds are allowed to remain on the stalk.