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Annual Biennial

Digitalis purpurea 'Purple Carousel' (Carousel Series)
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

foxglove 'Purple Carousel'

A biennial or short-lived perennial, up to 75cm high, with overwintering rosettes of green leaves and spikes of outward-facing flowers which grow all round the stems and are deep purplish pink, spotted inside with maroon outlined in white, in early summer

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Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metres
Time to ultimate height
1–2 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green
Summer Pink Purple Red White Green
Autumn Green
Winter Green
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

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

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
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 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; native foxgloves are usually found in the wild on acidic soils, but they can also grow on neutral soils, and tolerate slightly alkaline soils. See foxglove cultivation for further advice. See foxglove cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sown in spring; it will 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
  • Coastal
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

No pruning required, but deadheading, cutting down the flowering stems, may encourage growth the following year

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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