Let’s talk about how to grow foxglove from seed. Foxgloves have a bit of a rap for being hard to grow, but I don’t think they’re actually that finicky. You just need to know a few things before attempting to grow these beauties. They’re totally worth a little bit of extra work for the magic they add to your garden and your bouquets. One note of caution: foxgloves are poisonous so use care when harvesting them and do not eat them, whatever you do!
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Know What Type of Foxglove You’re Growing
Foxgloves grown as annuals
When you want to know how to grow foxglove from seed, first find out what type of foxglove you are growing. If you’re growing a biennial variety and it can flower the first year, you may want to consider growing it as an annual.
There are three varieties I’ve been able to grow as annuals: Dalmatian peach, any of the Camelot colors, and Foxy. If I start them ten to twelve weeks before the last frost I can usually get some decent blooms out of them as an annual. They flower a little later in the season and may need a bit more watering, but it’s totally worth the effort. Dalmatian peach and Camelot are hard for me to overwinter well, so I just replant every spring.
Foxgloves grown as biennials or perennials
Several other varieties do better for me if I start them one year and expect them to bloom the next year. I’ll start these a little later in the season, in May or June, and have them ready to plant into the ground at least eight to ten weeks before the first frost. They need that time to get well established for the following season.
This list includes Apricot Beauty and Strawberry. Strawberry foxglove is considered a perennial, but I’ve never gotten more than one year of blooms from them. I just replant them every year. I’d like to note here, too, that I’ve started Foxy later in the summer and it has successfully overwintered for me.
Tools for How to Grow Foxglove from Seed
Use a grow light
Besides knowing which varieties you’re starting, another plus for success when you grow foxglove from seed is using a grow light. Foxgloves take a loooong time to get going. So a grow light can really help you get healthy little plants. Foxgloves can also be started on a windowsill, but I’d probably not start them more than a couple weeks before the last frost. And obviously, if you have a greenhouse, that would be even better!
Try winter sowing
If you don’t have grow lights, I’ve had some success with using a winter sowing method to grow foxglove from seed. You could use an old milk jug to utilize this method, or you could use a tray and high dome with vents. When using a tray, sow your seeds into inserts in a 1020 tray and pop on the humidity dome. Put it in a sheltered area outside where it will get plenty of light, and bottom water as needed. You may need to weight the dome so it doesn’t blow away. Don’t ask me how I know. 🙂 Here in garden zone 6a, I can use this method to start my foxglove at the end of winter.
Use a hand seeder
Foxglove seeds are as fine as dust. They are seriously so tiny. I’m getting to the point I need reading glasses for some situations, and sowing foxglove seed is definitely one of them. To help with that, I like to use a hand seeder. That way there aren’t twenty seeds in a pile. That has happened, and then I have to take a very small scissors to cut away the extra sprouts. Not my favorite job.
Use a humidity dome
The trays and inserts I mentioned earlier are great for starting foxgloves inside as well. You’ll again need something to keep the seeds from drying out while they germinate. If you’re starting your plants under lights, a low dome like this is much better suited to the job. Just be sure to vent it once a day or so and take the dome off as soon as most of the seedlings have germinated.
Fill the inserts with any good soilless potting mix that’s been thoroughly hydrated, and sow about 3-5 seeds per cell. Dust very minimally with fine vermiculite to help regulate moisture as they’re germinating. Foxgloves need light to germinate, so don’t cover them too thickly. Bottom watering is best for foxgloves since the seed is so tiny it can wash away if you water from above.
Check out this post we wrote a few years ago on how to start flowers indoors if you want more info.
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Plant Your Foxglove at the Right Time
If you’ve started a variety like Dalmatian peach that will flower the first year, you’ll want to harden those plants off and plant them as soon as you’ve had your last frost. They can take a bit of cold, so you could also harden them off and plant them out a month before your last frost. Just keep a frost blanket and some wire hoops handy in case of a dip in temperatures.
If you’re planting a biennial or perennial type, plant them in plenty of time to get established before your first frost in the fall. Here in our zone 6a, we’ve had the most success when we’ve gotten them into the ground in July or August. That gives them plenty of time to get well established before the first frost in October.
Where to Plant Foxgloves
Foxgloves love rich, well draining soil and plenty of moisture. They can also take a bit of shade and don’t tolerate full sun very well if your summers get hot . We’ve had the best success with our foxgloves if we plant them so that they get either morning or afternoon shade. Mulching them with compost or dried grass clippings can be beneficial, too. It will improve the health of the soil, help retain water, and will suppress weeds so your foxgloves have a better chance of getting established.
Plant Care Tips
Don’t let your foxgloves dry out. Give them plenty of water while they’re getting established and if the weather turns hot. If they’re getting too much sun, consider giving them some shade in the form of a shade netting or something similar. We also like to fertilize them every couple weeks with our favorite Sea Grow fertilizer.
Harvesting Your Foxglove
When harvesting foxglove, cut them with a sharp garden clippers in the cool of the day. Early morning is best, but evening will work as well. It probably goes without saying, but just don’t cut them in the middle of the day. We like to condition the water in the vase or container flower food. The one we use is Floralife.
So that’s a roundup of our best tips for how to grow foxglove from seed. Have you grown it? Do you have any tips that you’d like to add? We’d love to hear them!
Happy planting,
Rosita