Digitalis purpurea 'Summer King'
strawberry foxglove 'Summer King'
A robust clump-forming, perennial or biennial to 90cm high, with lance-shaped glossy, dark green leaves, slightly hairy beneath and bearing racemes of large, velvety, tubular strawberry-pink flowers, spotted inside with crimson-purple
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Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.1–0.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drainedpH
Acid, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Red Pink White | Green | ||
| Autumn | Green | |||
| Winter | Green |
Position
- Full sun
- Partial shade
Aspect
North–facing or West–facing or East–facing or South–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered Hardiness
H5Botanical details
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Native to GB / Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Semi evergreen
- Habit
- Clump forming
- 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 moist but well-drained humus-rich soil in light dappled shade, for example in a mixed bed or an open woodland garden, or in full sun, and add organic mulch. See foxglove cultivation for further advice
Propagation
Propagate by seed, or by division, removing offsets, in spring; it will also self-seed but may not come true unless plants have been grown in isolation
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Wildlife gardens
- Cut flowers
- Flower borders and beds
Pruning
No pruning required, but deadheading may encourage growth in following years
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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