Digitalis isabelliana
Isabel's foxglove
A half-hardy evergreen shrub to 1.2m high, with upright stems and broadly ovate, serrated dark green leaves. Spikes of rich orange flowers, with long hoods forming a beak-like shape, are produced from the tips of the stems in summer
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Size
Ultimate height
1–1.5 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.1–0.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Orange | Green | ||
| Autumn | Green | |||
| Winter | Green |
Position
- Full sun
- Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H3Botanical details
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Native to the UK
- No
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Habit
- Bushy, Columnar upright
- Potentially harmful
- TOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
- 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
- Name status
Correct
- Plant range
- Canary Islands
How to grow
Cultivation
In frost-free climates, may be grown outdoors in well-drained soil, in a sheltered spot in sun or part shade. Elsewhere, grow under glass in loam-based potting compost, in full or bright filtered light with low to moderate humidity. Water moderately during growth and sparingly in winter. See foxglove cultivation for more details advice
Propagation
Propagate by seed, sown in pots at 18-24°C in spring, or by softwood cuttings in spring or semi-ripe cuttings with bottom heat in summer
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Coastal
- Cottage and informal garden
- Patio and container plants
- Sub-tropical
- Conservatory and greenhouse
- Flower borders and beds
Pruning
Pests
May be susceptible to aphids and leaf and bud eelworms, and to glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly when grown under glass
Diseases
May be susceptible to powdery mildews, downy mildews and leaf spot
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