Digitalis parviflora Jacq.

RHS Plant Profile
small-flowered foxglove

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Digitalis parviflora Jacq.?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
small-flowered foxglove RHS 1999

Synonyms

Digitalis kishinskyi

Award of Garden MeritPlants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial
Thank you - your purchase supports our charity work Buy this from RHS Plants Shop
Buy online from £8.99Buy this from Plant Nurseries
20 Suppliers

A slender perennial to 60cm tall, with downy, lance-shaped leaves in a basal rosette, and tubular, brownish-red flowers 2cm long, with darker veining, in early summer

Position

Full shade, Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full shade Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or North–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Plantaginaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
TOXIC 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
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
N. Spain

How to Grow

Cultivation

Will grow in almost any soil or situation except very wet or very dry; ideal site is a humus-rich soil in partial shade. A perennial but often treated as a biennial. See foxglove cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in late spring or propagate by division in early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Underplanting of roses and shrubs
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Cut back main flower spike as it fades to encourage the growth of flowering side shoots

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids and leaf and bud eelworm

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews, downy mildews and leaf spot