Digitalis purpurea
Foxglove, Our Lady's glove, Virgin's glove, and foxglove lace: all these names come from the shape of its flowers, those elongated bells into which a finger fits perfectly — digitalis comes from the Latin digitus, meaning finger. Its flower spikes can reach 2 metres, making it one of the most spectacular vertical accents in the shade garden.
Characteristics:
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Majestic flower spikes: up to 2 metres tall, covered with purple bells spotted inside, from May to July.
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Shade plant: one of the few plants to flower so generously in shady conditions.
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Biennial: a rosette in the first year, flowering in the second, then it self-seeds abundantly.
Precautions — read carefully:
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All parts of the plant are highly toxic if ingested — leaves, flowers, stems, roots, and seeds. Foxglove contains powerful cardiac glycosides: ingestion, even in small amounts, can be serious.
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Do not plant it in a garden frequented by young children, or within reach of pets or farm animals.
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Risk of confusion when foraging: its first-year rosettes resemble those of comfrey, with which it has previously been confused for culinary purposes. Never consume a rosette unless it has been identified with certainty.
- Wear gloves when handling it and wash your hands afterward. Clearly label your seed packets.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: partial shade to light shade — it is a plant of woodland edges and clearings, and suffers in intense full sun.
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Soil: cool, humus-rich, light, and rather acidic, with good drainage. It thrives in woodland soils rich in organic matter and dislikes pronounced alkalinity as well as waterlogged conditions in winter.
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Method: sow from September to April, on the surface without covering, as the tiny seeds need light to germinate. Autumn sowing allows the winter cold to naturally break dormancy; otherwise, apply cold stratification.
Planting advice:
- Transplant at the back of a shady border, spacing plants 40 cm apart, away from paths and play areas.
Care advice:
- Keep the soil cool with mulch. Allow a few flower spikes to produce seeds: foxglove self-seeds and becomes established over time in a lasting colony.
Beneficial combinations:
- It shares the shade and moisture requirements of honesty and forget-me-nots, creating a beautiful woodland border.
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its tubular flowers are tailor-made for bumblebees: the dark markings inside the corolla are true guideposts leading to the nectar.
- It is one of the few plants to offer an abundant source of nectar in shady conditions, where pollinators find little.
- Its seeds feed small granivorous birds in autumn.
Uses:
- Strictly ornamental: the back of shady borders, woodland edges, and woodland gardens. It also makes magnificent bouquets, but should be handled with gloves.
Symbolism:
Between beauty and danger, foxglove has always been associated with the fairy world in Celtic traditions — its bells were said to serve as their hats or thimbles.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Let the faded flower spikes form their capsules, then harvest them once they are brown and dry — wearing gloves — and shake them over a container: the seeds are extremely fine and plentiful. Clearly label the packet. See storing your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to sow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
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