About
This semi-evergreen biennial or short-lived perennial, to 50cm high in flower, with a basal rosette of hairy green leaves. Tall, strong spikes of soft, creamy-peach tubular, orchid-shaped flowers with warm pink throats, are produced from May to July.
About the genus
Digitalis can be biennials or usually short-lived perennials forming a rosette of simple leaves with bell-shaped flowers in slender, erect, usually one-sided racemes
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectEast-facing, South-facing, West-facing
ExposureExposed, Sheltered
UK hardinessH7
Plant details
Plant typeAnnual Biennial, Herbaceous Perennial
HabitColumnar upright
FoliageSemi evergreen
Height0.1-0.5 metres
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height1-2 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Wildflower meadow
ToxicityTOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling TOXIC to pets - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Care notes
CultivationPrefers fertile, moist, humus-rich soil, but will grow in most garden situations including full sun. Will flower in its first year from an early sowing. See foxglove cultivation for further advice
PruningDeadhead to encourage more flowers
PropagationPropagate by seed, sown in pots in a cold frame in late spring for flowering the following year. Seeds sown in January, in a protected environment at 15-18°C, may produce flowers in late summer of the first year
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to aphids and leaf and bud eelworm
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to powdery mildews, downy mildews and leaf spot