Foxglove Plant
The Foxglove Plant, Beautiful, Useful, and Poisonous
The foxglove plant, digitalis purpurea, is a tall herb having some interesting features. The foxglove is a plant often pictured as belonging in an old-fashioned garden, a garden like your grandmother, or more likely, your great-grandmother tended. To say that there is a certain amount of nostalgia associated with the foxglove plant is probably an understatement, as the foxglove has a rather rich background in history, and in folklore.
Foxglove has been known by a number of interesting names, just three of which, banshee herb, witch's thimble, and blood finger, might make you want to think twice before introducing this plant into your garden. However, foxglove has been given some nicer sounding names as well, including fairy fingers and fairy thimble. Scots, Gaelic, and Welsh folklore attributed certain powers of the plant to the kingdom of the fairies.
The foxglove plant does indeed have some powers. Digitalis, also known as dioxin, is a drug derived from the plant. The drug is very useful in the treatment of heart conditions, in particular congestive heart failure, and certain arrhythmias. The drug slows the heart rate and strengthens the heart muscle. It also is used as a treatment for eliminating excessive fluid from bodily tissues.
The medicinal qualities of foxglove have been known for hundreds of years. Digitalis has been in the medical books since the early 1800's. Still, being known, does not always mean being correctly understood. The use of the foxglove plant for medicinal purposes did not always have good results. While, as noted, digitalis is excellent for treatment of heart conditions, foxglove is very poisonous if ingested. Its use in folk medicine, from compresses for bruising, to a remedy for sore throats, and as a diuretic, often ended in fatal results. If you have someone in the "terrible two's" wandering around your garden, it might be a good idea to either keep the foxglove plant out of reach, or substitute other flowers or vegetables for a year or two.
A biennial, it produces a prolific number of seeds. It will bloom for most of the summer season, and grows in most areas of the United States, except in the most southern parts of the country. It is common in the British Isles, and throughout much of the European continent as well. The plant has very beautiful, tube-like flowers, normally a pinkish-purple in color. The interior of the tube is white with dark purple spots.
Though not difficult to grow, the foxglove plant usually should be staked, as the flower heads can become quite heavy, especially when damp or wet. Well drained soil is best, and it's a good idea to keep the soil loose around the plant. Being biennial, foxglove will die after the second year, but sows its own seeds freely. The loose soil will promote germination of the seeds, increasing the chances of having blooming plants year after year. The foxglove plant is a truly beautiful addition to the garden and, assuming you don't try to eat it, you can enjoy it for many years.