Is Foxglove deer resistant?
Digitalis purpurea
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Foxglove
Cardiac glycosides make every part of it toxic, and deer avoid it completely. So do rabbits. The same chemistry means it is dangerous to people and pets. The leaves have been mistaken for comfrey by foragers with fatal results, and it should not go where small children graze a border. The thing most gardeners get wrong is the life cycle. Common foxglove is a biennial: it makes a flat rosette of leaves the first year, flowers spectacularly the second, then dies. A planting that appears to be thriving perennially is actually reseeding itself, and the way to keep it going is to let some spikes set seed rather than deadheading everything tidily. It wants part shade and moisture, and sulks in dry sun.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Low
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- High
Where Foxglove grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
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Every list Foxglove belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Foxglove
- Is Foxglove deer resistant?
- Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Foxglove grow in?
- Foxglove is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Foxglove grow in shade?
- Yes. Foxglove tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Foxglove get?
- Mature height is roughly 24–60 in. Growth rate is fast.
- When does Foxglove bloom?
- Foxglove flowers from May–July.
- Is Foxglove toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Foxglove as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.