The foxglove sends up dramatic spires lined with tubular, speckled bells in pink, purple, white, and cream, adding striking vertical drama to cottage gardens and woodland edges. It’s beautiful, beloved by bees — and highly poisonous.
Foxglove at a glance
- Botanical name: Digitalis
- Family: Plantaginaceae
- Bloom season: early to midsummer
- Symbolism: insincerity, but also protection
About the foxglove
Foxgloves are usually biennials, forming a rosette of leaves in their first year and flowering in their second before setting abundant seed. Their thimble-shaped flowers are a favourite of bumblebees. The plant is the original source of digitalis, a powerful heart medication — and a reminder that every part of it is toxic.
Foxglove meaning and symbolism
The foxglove carries a mixed symbolism of insincerity in the Victorian language of flowers, but also of protection, tied to old folklore linking it to fairies and magic.
Types of foxglove
Popular varieties worth knowing:
- Common foxglove (D. purpurea) — the classic pink-purple biennial
- ‘Camelot’ & ‘Dalmatian’ series — flower in their first year
- Perennial foxglove (D. grandiflora) — soft-yellow and longer-lived
- ‘Foxlight’ hybrids — compact and long-blooming
How to grow and care for foxglove
A few essentials keep this flower thriving:
- Grow in partial shade with moist, rich, well-drained soil
- Sow seeds or set out plants; most bloom the following year
- Let some plants self-seed to keep the display going
- Stake tall spires in exposed spots
- Note: all parts are highly toxic, so handle with care
Foxglove FAQs
Is foxglove poisonous?
Yes, very. All parts of the foxglove are highly toxic if eaten — it’s the source of the heart drug digitalis — so plant and handle it with care around children and pets.
Is foxglove a perennial or biennial?
Most common foxgloves are biennials, forming leaves the first year and flowering the second. Some species and modern hybrids are short-lived perennials or bloom in their first year.
When does foxglove bloom?
Foxgloves bloom in early to midsummer, sending up their tall, bell-lined spires that are a magnet for bumblebees.
Explore more
Browse more flower profiles, learn about flower meanings, or find your birth flower.