Foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple'
Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple' · Plantaginaceae
Sturdy spires with flowers all round the stem, deep lavender-purple and heavily spotted inside with maroon.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Accent
A bed built around foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple'
The planner designed this bed around foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' × 4, purple
- 2 Creeping mahonia × 5, yellow
- 3 Bloody cranesbill × 2, pink
- 4 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 3, pink
- 5 Pieris 'Little Heath' × 1, variegated leaves
- 6 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 7 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
- 8 Red spider lily × 12, red
Why this plant
- The only spires. The others are dense clusters, open bowls, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only purple.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3½ ft it is among the tallest plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to pieris 'Little Heath' (2½ ft) and Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 4 plants in 2 places. An accent is a punctuation mark: the repeat along the bed gives it rhythm.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From late May to mid July.
- In company. With bloody cranesbill in late May: 2 kinds at once.
Planned as a cottage garden: 18 of the 18 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Grecian windflower comes up between the other plants for colour early in the year. Low plants run along 90% of the front edge: creeping mahonia and bloody cranesbill.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: accent. An upright plant used singly, like a punctuation mark, and repeated at intervals to give the bed rhythm.
Unlike the common foxglove it flowers in its first year from seed, so it can be planted in spring for flowers that summer. It is compact and seldom needs staking.
- First-year foxglove spires
- Cottage gardens
- Hummingbirds and bumblebees
What to plant with foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for six weeks, from late May; medium leaves against its bold ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; a low mound at the foot of its spires; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Astilbe: in flower together for four weeks, from late June; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple'
Does foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' need sun or shade?
Foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Early June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late May to mid July |
| Zone 6 | Late May to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Mid May to early July |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early July |
| Zone 9 | Early May to late June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one at a time, repeated along the bed at intervals; a slender one reads better as a clump of three.
In the bed above, the planner used four in two groups.
Is foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are highly poisonous if eaten and affect the heart; even small amounts can be life-threatening. Avoid it where children or pets may chew plants.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple'?
These come closest to doing what foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Peach-leaved bellflower: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 10 in shorter, blue or white, not purple.
- Purple moor grass 'Moorhexe': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 10 in shorter, flowers mid July to early September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Short-lived, and self-seeds around the parent plant.
What flowers after foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple'?
Foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bee balm: from early July to early August, 3 ft tall.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Garden phlox: from mid July to early September, 3½ ft tall.
What does foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' look like in winter?
Foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' good for bees and butterflies?
Foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' is visited by pollinators, bees and butterflies.
More Digitalis
- Foxglove Digitalis purpurea
- Rusty foxglove Digitalis ferruginea
- Straw foxglove Digitalis lutea
- Strawberry foxglove Digitalis x mertonensis
- Yellow foxglove Digitalis grandiflora
In these guides
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late May to mid July; upright spires; purple
- Leaves
- Bold texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Upright, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Comes from
- Europe
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.