Strawberry foxglove
Digitalis x mertonensis ·
Large bells the colour of crushed strawberries on stout spires above velvety leaves in early summer. A short-lived perennial that comes true from seed.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early June to mid July
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Accent
A bed built around strawberry foxglove
The planner designed this bed around strawberry foxglove 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 strawberry foxglove stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Strawberry foxglove × 2, pink
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 3, tan
- 3 Creeping mahonia × 5, yellow
- 4 Swamp milkweed × 3, white
- 5 Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' × 1, grey-green leaves
- 6 White snakeroot 'Chocolate' × 3, white
- 7 Snowdrop × 10, white
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only pink. The one cool colour: every other flower here is hot or neutral.
Why here
- In the middle. At 3 ft it is seen over moor grass 'Greenlee' (12 in) in front of it.
- 2 plants in 2 places. An accent is a punctuation mark: the repeat along the bed gives it rhythm.
- Bold leaf against fine. Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From early June to mid July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With moor grass 'Greenlee' and swamp milkweed in early July: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a cottage garden: 17 of the 17 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Cool colours (pink) set against hot ones (yellow), with tan and white to calm things between them. White is the colour seen most, on 3 of the 6 kinds grown for their flowers.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where strawberry foxglove goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: accent. An upright plant used singly, like a punctuation mark, and repeated at intervals to give the bed rhythm.
The coppery pink is an unusual shade that sits well with bronze and purple foliage. Divide it, or let it seed, every couple of years to keep it going.
- Unusual colour for part shade
- Cottage gardens
- Cut flowers
What to plant with strawberry foxglove
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Astilbe: in flower together for four weeks, from late June; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- 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.
Questions about strawberry foxglove
Does strawberry foxglove need sun or shade?
Strawberry foxglove grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), 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, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does strawberry foxglove grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does strawberry foxglove flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Mid June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early June to mid July |
| Zone 6 | Early June to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Late May to early July |
| Zone 8 | Late May to early July |
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 strawberry foxglove be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many strawberry foxglove plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 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 two in two groups.
Is strawberry foxglove poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are highly poisonous if eaten and can affect the heart.
Will strawberry foxglove spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Short-lived, but keeps going by self-seeding. Thin or move seedlings where they are not wanted.
What flowers after strawberry foxglove?
Strawberry foxglove is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bee balm: from early July to early August, 3 ft tall.
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does strawberry foxglove look like in winter?
Strawberry foxglove 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.
More Digitalis
- Foxglove Digitalis purpurea
- Foxglove 'Dalmatian Purple' Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple'
- Rusty foxglove Digitalis ferruginea
- Straw foxglove Digitalis lutea
- Yellow foxglove Digitalis grandiflora
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early June to mid July; upright spires; pink
- Leaves
- Bold texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.