Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Foxglove bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Foxglove, Common Foxglove, Lady's Glove, Fairy Fingers (Digitalis purpurea).

More about foxglove

About Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea · also called Foxglove, Common Foxglove · flowering

Digitalis purpurea is a tall biennial or short-lived perennial native to western and central Europe, including the UK, where it is a quintessential woodland-edge and cottage-garden plant. In its first year it forms a large flat rosette of velvety leaves; in its second it throws up a commanding spike of tubular, spotted flowers beloved by bumblebees. The most important care fact is to site it in partial shade with moisture-retentive, humus-rich soil, and to allow self-seeding for a continuous display. Every part of this plant is highly toxic to pets and humans.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphid infestation on flower spike: Foxglove aphids (Acyrthosiphon cyparissiae) and other species colonise the developing flower spikes in late spring, causing stunted or distorted flowers; knock off with a strong water jet or introduce ladybird larvae.

The reasons foxglove isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming foxglove traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding foxglove a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get foxglove to flower

Maximise sun. Give foxglove the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for foxglove and get the feeding right with the foxglove fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Foxglove flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full foxglove care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Foxglove blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my foxglove flower?

Foxglove blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make foxglove bloom?

Give foxglove the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does foxglove normally bloom?