Fairy foxglove

Erinus alpinus

In other languages: Alpenbalsem (Nederlands) · Érine des Alpes (Français)

Fairy foxglove comes from the mountains of southern and central Europe, from the Pyrenees to the Alps, where it grows in rock crevices and on limestone scree. It is a tiny perennial barely 10 cm tall, with small rosettes of scalloped, spoon-shaped leaves. From April to June it bears short sprays of starry flowers in pink to purplish pink, sometimes white. It often lives only a few years, but in a good spot it self-seeds readily into joints and wall crevices. Well-known forms are ‘Albus’ with white flowers and ‘Dr. Hähnle’ with carmine flowers.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Sun or partial shade
preferably some sun
Moisture
Dry
tolerates drought
Legal basis
Sand or loam
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -25 °C
Size
0.1 m
tall, 0.15 m wide
Flowering
April–June

Key facts
Height	0.1 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous
Flowering	April–June

Identify

Fairy foxglove: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Small, dense rosettes 5–10 cm tall and 10–15 cm wide.
Leaves: Small, spoon-shaped, scalloped and slightly hairy; often stays green in winter.
Flower: Flowers about 1 cm across with five notched lobes, in short sprays above the rosette.
Colour: Pink to purplish pink; there are also white and carmine forms.
Lifespan: Short, often 2–3 years, but it self-seeds.

Flowering: April–June · Sowing: March–April · Plants: March–April and September

In your garden

Why grow it?

One of the few plants that thrive in wall crevices, paving joints and between stones.
Early flowers from April to June, when the rock garden still has little colour.
Attracts bees and other small pollinators.
Self-seeds modestly, giving an old wall or flight of steps a natural look all by itself.
Small enough for a trough, a pot or the tiniest spot.

Fairy foxglove: where does it grow best?

Sun to part shade; in full sun it stays more compact.
Poor, free-draining sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky; ideally with grit or old lime mortar.
Dry: in paving joints, on walls or between stones, where water drains away quickly.
Plant 10–15 cm apart, or sow it straight into a joint.

Light: Sun and partial shade
Soil type: Sand or loam
Acidity: Neutral or chalky
Moisture: Dry
Size: 0.1 m tall, 0.15 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

Houseleek: Fleshy rosettes for the same dry wall crevices.
Stonecrop: Flowers later in summer and likes the same poor soil.
Cheddar pink: Blue-grey cushions and scented pink flowers on top of a wall.
Saxifrage: Fine rosettes and small flowers for a rock garden or trough.
Creeping thyme: A scented mat between stepping stones and joints.

Maintenance

Fairy foxglove: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September.

Plant in March–April or in September.
Choose a joint, wall crevice or gap between stones and clear out old soil or moss.
Gently push the root ball into the gap, with a little sandy soil around it if needed; set it at the same depth as in the pot.
Leave 10–15 cm between plants if you put in several.
Water gently with a fine rose and keep it slightly moist for the first weeks.
In a trough or rock garden: spread a thin layer of gravel around the rosette.

Care

Watering: Only in the first weeks after planting, and in a pot or trough during long dry spells.
Feeding: Not needed: it looks best on poor soil.
Deadheading: Leave the spent flowers if you want it to self-seed.
Seedlings: Leave seedlings in joints: they replace the old, short-lived plants.
Competition: Keep vigorous neighbours such as moss or creeping plants at bay, so they do not smother the small rosettes.

Tip: Mix the fine seed with a little sand and scatter it into the cracks of a wall or between stones: after that, fairy foxglove will self-seed in dry, limy spots by itself.

Fairy foxglove: when to prune it?

When: Fairy foxglove is not pruned. At most, remove spent flower sprays after flowering if you do not want seedlings.

How:

Leave the spent flowers if you want it to self-seed.
In spring, pick dead leaves out of the rosettes.
Remove dead plants and leave the young seedlings beside them.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: In March–April indoors or outdoors: scatter the fine seed on sandy soil or straight into a joint and barely cover it. Thin the seedlings.
Self-seeding: Let the flowers set seed; seedlings will then appear by themselves in joints nearby.
Division: Older plants with several rosettes can be carefully divided in spring.

Fairy foxglove: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

Hardy to about −25 °C: in Belgium it comes through ordinary winters without trouble.
Wet winters are more dangerous than frost: in a wall crevice or joint it stays dry enough.
In a pot or trough: raise it on pot feet and, if needed, move it under cover from long spells of rain.

Diseases and pests

Rotting: Rosettes turn soft and brown in wet, heavy soil. Plant it between stones or in gritty soil.
Slugs: Young rosettes get eaten. Check after rain and pick off the slugs.
Being smothered: Stronger plants grow over the small rosettes. Cut back the neighbours and give fairy foxglove a joint of its own.
Disappearing: The plant dies after 2–3 years. That is normal: let it self-seed or sow a little every spring.

Through the year

March: Sow indoors or into joints. Plant.
April: Flowering starts. Sow into joints. Plant.
May: Full flower. Bees visit.
June: Last flowers. Let seed set.
July: Seed drops into the joints.
September: Plant. Leave young seedlings in place.
October: Remove dead plants.

Use

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

You and this species

Did you know?

Fairy foxglove is related to the foxglove, hence its English name.
In Britain it has naturalised on old walls in many places, far from its natural range.
The genus Erinus contains very few species; in gardens you almost only come across Erinus alpinus.

Garden plants · All species