Digitalis purpurea Purple Foxglove

 

Crested Foxglove

Foxglove in pot ready for shipping

Who knew this nice looking little plant would produce the Foxglove from Mars on the left. Thank goodness they didn't all look this way! The stem on this crested Foxglove was about three inches wide.

Bee approaching the Foxglove

Bee in the Foxglove

Hundreds of Bumblebees crawled
inside these Purple Foxglove Bells.
Some were so fat that they 
barely fit and you could see 
their outlines through the flowers.

Sometimes the flower had already
collapsed, but the Bee worked 
at opening the Bell to crawl in. 
This bee, like the others, 
crawled all the way into the flower.

In the year 1785, a Dr. Withering reported in An Account of a Foxglove that Foxglove was a diuretic and a most appropriate treatment for draining the body of excess fluid (dropsy). According to Timothy Coffey in his entertaining book The History and Folklore of Wildflowers, "...Foxglove was remarkably effective [for dropsy], but not because it is a diuretic. One of the major causes of dropsy (fluid accumulation) is congestive heart failure. A damaged heart pumps blood at low pressure, allowing fluid to leak out of the capillaries, into the tissues, which then swell into dropsy. Digitalis strengthens cardiac contraction and enables the heart to deliver blood to the rest of the body at higher pressure, thus keeping fluid from leaking out of the capillaries. Digitalis preparations are used to treat almost every type of heart disease". 

Just a reminder that Foxgloves are poisonous and should not be used by anyone for anything except gazing at; unless of course, you are a bee.

Purple Foxglove and Giant Catmint

Purple Foxglove looks absolutely wonderful blooming in early spring
with Giant Catmint and Midnight Blue Statice.

 

Foxgloves are a great addition to our  
English Cottage Garden Six Pack

and are often included in our 
English Cottage Garden 36 Pack Assortment
.

 

Cultural Information

Height: 4 Feet    

Hardiness: Hardy Biennial

Flower Color: Purple  

Characteristics: Partial
to full sun 

Uses: Ornamental, Poisonous

This plant has been discontinued. This page has been left here for your information. Please see our page of Cultivated Foxglove varieties.

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