Container Grown Foxglove Plants
Will foxglove plants grow in pots? Yes, as long as they’re given enough room. Foxgloves can grow as big as 5 feet (1.5 m.) high and a foot (0.5 m.) wide, so they need a sufficiently big container. Foxgloves are biennials, which means they don’t bloom until their second year of growth. Because of this, growing foxglove in containers won’t be very showy the first summer if you start from seed. If you want flowers in your first summer, buy container grown foxglove plants that are already established from a nursery. Foxglove plants die after blooming, but they drop plenty of seeds that will grow new plants the following year. You can deadhead some flowers to encourage new growth, but if you want the seeds you’ll have to leave some flowers.
Potted Foxglove Care
Potted foxglove care is easy. Choose a large container with some form of support so the plants don’t droop over. Since container grown foxglove plants are so tall, they can be planted very effectively surrounded by shorter and trailing plants, serving as the “thriller” portion of the “thriller, filler, spiller” effect. Growing foxglove in containers requires humus-rich soil and moderate to frequent watering so the soil doesn’t dry out. Foxgloves can grow in anything from partial sun to shade. They don’t like the heat, however, so if you live in a warmer climate, they’ll perform better in a shadier area. A note of caution: This plant is considered toxic if ingested and even the sap can cause issues in sensitive individuals. It’s probably best to avoid growing this plant, or at least have it somewhere out of the way if you have small children or pets.
