Digitalis parviflora 'Milk Chocolate'

RHS Plant Profile
small-flowered foxglove 'Milk Chocolate'
Award of Garden MeritPlants for pollinators
Herbaceous Perennial

A slender perennial, to 60cm tall, with downy, lance-shaped leaves in a basal rosette, and towers of densely-packed light bronze, tubular flowers, in 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
South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Plantaginaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Semi evergreen
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
Accepted

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 division in early spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

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

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