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Annual Biennial

Digitalis purpurea subsp. heywoodii 'Silver Fox'

foxglove 'Silver Fox'

'Silver Fox' is a biennial or short-lived perennial forming a rosette of lance-shaped, downy, silvery, greyish-green leaves. Upright flowers spikes to around 70cm tall arise from the basal rosette in summer with creamy-white flowers flushed with pink and lightly-speckled throats

Synonyms

Digitalis 'Silver Fox'

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

1–2 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

West–facing or South–facing or North–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Plantaginaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Columnar upright
Potentially harmful: TOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling TOXIC to pets - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus: Digitalis can be biennials or usually short-lived perennials forming a rosette of simple leaves with bell-shaped flowers in slender, erect, usually one-sided racemes
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in almost any soil, but avoid very wet or very dry positions. Prefers a humus-rich soil in partial shade but will grow in full sun. See foxglove cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Coastal
City and courtyard gardens
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Deadhead after flowering unless seed is required

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids and leaf and bud eelworm

Diseases

May be susceptible to powdery mildews, downy mildews and leaf spot

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