Add Foxgloves To Container Displays For Dramatic Height – But Watch Out For Overcrowding
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By DAN ORI
Dan has over 27 years’ under his belt caring for plants and gardens. Working as a Horticultural Instructor and Consultant, he draws on a diverse range of experience that includes working as a Head Gardener, Tree Surgeon, Garden Centre Trouble Shooter, and writer of academic papers. Dan has a Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture and is currently a candidate for the RHS’s most prestigious award – The Master of Horticulture.
IN THIS GUIDE
Foxgloves are woodland plants that work very well in the dappled shade below fruit trees or in other wild and natural planting schemes where you’d find relatively well-drained but humus-rich soil.
However, if you do not have a large garden or cannot grow in the soil, you might wonder whether you can grow these useful biennial or perennial flowering plants in containers.
Can You Grow Foxgloves In Pots?
The good news is that you can indeed grow foxgloves in containers.
They can, in fact, be very useful for container displays as they can give some dramatic height to elevate such displays.
Hardier species can work well in containers, but container growing can be particularly beneficial (even where there are other areas of a garden to plant in) when growing more tender foxgloves that require winter protection.
Growing these types of foxgloves in pots makes it easier for gardeners to move them undercover to a frost-free location for the winter months.
Choosing Plant Pots
When choosing a container for foxgloves, remember that these are plants that can grow rather tall, so it is important to choose a heavy, sturdy pot that will not easily tip over with the weight of the plants.
For foxgloves, it is a good idea to choose a container that is as large as possible.
Remember, foxgloves typically need to form rosettes 15-20cm across before they will send up flowering shoots, so it is important not to overcrowd them.
The container needs to have drainage at the base to allow excess water to drain away.
However, it is important to choose a container that will not dry out too quickly.
A larger container will take longer to dry out and will be easier to maintain.
Compost For Foxgloves
Foxgloves are best planted into containers filled with a peat-free, loam-based compost that is rich in organic matter.
You can purchase a loam-based, peat-free compost mix or you can blend your own.
I mix 1/3 loam, 1/3 homemade compost and 1/3 leaf mould to great effect.
Your goal is to fill your pot to mimic the natural humus-rich loamy soil found in woodlands where foxgloves naturally grow.
Potting Up Foxgloves
When potting up foxgloves, the best times to do so is in autumn or in the spring.
If you have grown foxgloves from seed or purchased young plug plants, spring sowing is recommended, as young plants do best if placed in pots in a protected place over the winter – before then being potted into their longer-term containers.
How Many Should You Plant Per Pot?
In the ground, spacing foxgloves correctly is important and you should plant them at least 30-35cm apart to allow the rosettes to grow sufficiently.
While you can get away with somewhat closer spacing in a container for most plants, you do need to make sure that the rosettes can grow large enough to allow flowering stalks to form in the plants’ second year when planting foxgloves in a container.
If possible, it is best to plant in groups of 3-5 to create an impressive (and dramatic) impact, so choosing a container large enough to allow this will be best.
Remember, foxgloves might also be planted with other plants for a container display.
They make great focal plants at the centre of a pot, surrounded by other flowering plants that look good with them and which, of course, enjoy similar growing conditions.
Potted Foxglove Care
Place most foxgloves in containers in light or dappled shade and water them regularly throughout the growing season.
Remember that container-grown plants will need to be watered more frequently than in ground-growing areas as they will dry out more quickly.
Mulch the top of your container with an organic mulch when planting in order to help with moisture retention and fertility.
In an exposed spot, foxgloves may benefit from staking to prevent the stalks from snapping, but in sheltered settings, support is not usually required.
Some more tender perennial foxgloves will need to be moved to a frost-free location over the winter months.
Even hardier types are more susceptible to frost damage when growing in containers, so it is a good idea to ensure that they are in a sheltered position or to take steps to add insulation around the pot to protect the roots of your plants.
Growing foxgloves in containers does take more work than growing them in the ground, but it can still be a relatively easy and hassle-free option for a container garden.
“Although I prefer to plant my foxgloves into the ground, in prominent positions that have to look show garden perfect I have a little trick,” adds Master Horticulturist Dan Ori.
“As foxgloves start sending up flowering stalks, I sink plants still in their pots into the ground covering the pot edge with a little soil and when the flowering is done, I pull out the pots of foxgloves and pop something else in.”
