Photo: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Perennial · Plantaginaceae

Rusty foxglove

Digitalis ferruginea

In other languages: Roestig vingerhoedskruid (Nederlands) · Digitale ferrugineuse (Français)

Rusty foxglove comes from southern Europe and western Asia, from Italy and the Balkans to Turkey and the Caucasus, where it grows in open woodland and on open, stony ground. It forms a rosette of narrow, glossy dark green leaves, from which ramrod-straight, slender spikes up to 1.2 m tall rise in summer. These are densely set with small, rounded flowers in golden yellow to rusty brown, with a fine network of dark veins and a hairy lower lip. Gardeners use it as a vertical accent among grasses and prairie plants. It is often biennial or short-lived, but self-seeds easily.

Caution: All parts of the plant are highly poisonous, including the seeds and sap. Dangerous to children, cats, dogs, horses and other grazing animals. Do not plant it where small children play, along a field with livestock or in or beside the vegetable garden, and wear gloves when handling it.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Sun or partial shade
preferably some sun
Moisture
Dry to normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
any pH
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -30 °C
Size
1.2 m
tall, 0.4 m wide
Flowering
June–August

Key facts
Pruning months	August–September
Height	1.2 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees
Poisonous to people and pets	Yes, take care with children and pets
Flowering	June–August

Identify

Rusty foxglove: how do you recognise it?

Habit: A rosette at ground level, with one or a few straight flower stems of 1–1.2 m, sometimes taller.
Leaves: Narrowly lance-shaped, glossy dark green and smooth; the rosette often stays green in winter.
Flower: Small, rounded bells 1.5–3 cm long, packed along the upper part of the stem, from June to August.
Colour: Golden yellow to rusty brown, finely veined reddish brown inside, with a paler, hairy lower lip.
Lifespan: Biennial or short-lived perennial: first a rosette, then flowers and seed.
Seed: Countless dust-fine seeds in capsules along the spike.

Flowering: June–August · Sowing: March–June · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: August–September

In your garden

Why grow it?

Strict, vertical spikes that give a border height and structure without taking up much space.
An unusual, warm flower colour that goes beautifully with grasses and autumn tints.
Bumblebees and bees crawl into the flowers for nectar and pollen.
The spent spikes stay standing as slender silhouettes well into autumn.
Little work: it self-seeds and pops up somewhere new every year.

Rusty foxglove: where does it grow best?

Sun to part shade; in sun the spikes stay sturdier and straighter.
Free-draining sandy, loamy or clay soil, acid to chalky.
Dry to moist: it copes with a dry summer, but not with wet feet in winter.
Plant 30–40 cm apart, ideally scattered among other plants rather than in a row.
Choose a spot away from children’s play areas, pets and the vegetable garden.

Light: Sun and partial shade
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Not fussy
Moisture: Dry or normal
Size: 1.2 m tall, 0.4 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

Purple moor grass: Its fine stems and the slender spikes set each other off, in autumn too.
Giant feather grass: Golden plumes that suit the rusty-brown flowers.
Purple coneflower: Round pink flowers as a contrast with the vertical spikes.
Globe thistle: Blue balls and the same liking for sun and free-draining soil.
Woodland sage: Low, purple-blue spikes at the foot of the tall candles.

Maintenance

Rusty foxglove: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

Plant in March–April or in September–October.
Dig a hole slightly larger than the pot; in heavy soil, mix in some gravel.
Set the rosette at the same depth as in the pot: the heart must not be buried.
Leave 30–40 cm between plants.
Water at planting and during dry spells in the first weeks.
Wear gloves when planting and moving it: all parts are poisonous.

Care

Watering: Only during prolonged drought in the first year. After that it copes perfectly well.
Feeding: Not needed; in rich soil the spikes become floppy.
Support: Usually unnecessary. In a windy spot you can put a thin cane beside the spike.
Spent spikes: Cut them off if you do not want seedlings, or leave a few for seed.
Seedlings: Weed out surplus seedlings and keep the strongest where you want them.

Tip: Do not plant it in a block, but scatter single plants among grasses: it will look as if it has self-seeded, and after that it will.

Rusty foxglove: when to prune it?

Pruning months: August–September.

When: After flowering, in August or September. Otherwise no pruning is needed.

How:

Cut the main spike back to the rosette once most flowers have faded; smaller side spikes sometimes follow.
If you want it to self-seed, leave one or two spikes until the seed capsules turn brown and split open.
In spring, remove dead leaves from the rosette.

Caution: Wear gloves when pruning and wash your hands afterwards: the sap and all parts of the plant are poisonous.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing indoors: In March–April: scatter the dust-fine seed on moist seed compost and do not cover it, as it needs light to germinate. Plant out from May.
Sowing outdoors: In May–June in a seedbed or where it is to flower; move the young rosettes to their final spot in September.
Self-seeding: Let a few spikes set seed; seedlings will then appear by themselves nearby.

Rusty foxglove: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

Hardy to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
The leaf rosette often stays green in winter; leave it alone.
Wet, heavy soil in winter can make the rosette rot. Make sure drainage is good.

Diseases and pests

Rosette rot: The heart turns soft and brown after a wet winter. Plant in a free-draining spot and keep fallen leaves away.
Slugs: Young rosettes get eaten in spring. Check in the evening and pick off the slugs.
Dying after flowering: Normal for a biennial or short-lived plant: let it self-seed or sow some every year.
Leaf spot: Brown spots on older leaves in damp weather. Cut off affected leaves and leave space around the plant.

Through the year

March: Plant. Sow indoors. Remove dead leaves from the rosette.
April: Plant. Sow indoors. Watch out for slugs.
May: Sow outdoors. Plant out indoor-sown plants.
June: Flowering starts. Sow outdoors.
July: Full flower. Bumblebees visit.
August: End of flowering. Cut back the main spike or let it set seed.
September: Cut off spent spikes or collect seed. Move young rosettes. Plant.
October: Plant. Weed out surplus seedlings.

Use

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of foxglove are poisonous: its compounds act strongly on the heart. In spring its leaf rosettes are mistaken for those of comfrey or borage; foxglove has soft, finely hairy leaves without prickly hairs or a smell of cucumber. So do not pick herbs for tea near foxgloves unless you are sure. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

You and this species

Did you know?

Digitalis comes from the Latin digitus, finger: the flowers fit over a fingertip like a thimble.
Ferruginea means ‘rust-coloured’, from the Latin ferrum, iron.
Bumblebees land on the hairy lower lip and then crawl deep into the flower; that is how they pollinate it.

Garden plants · All species