Foxgloves were huge last year, and they’re back in full force again at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
If you’re hoping to learn how to grow foxgloves this season, you’re right on time: alongside other RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 trends, I saw the bell-shaped blooms everywhere when I visited the Show on Monday. Actually, I’d say I saw them in more gardens than not – and it’s safe to say they’ve become a stalwart feature of the event.
To celebrate, I’ve rounded up the best foxglove varieties to grow at home, with a few I spotted in the Show Gardens this week.
1. Digitalis purpurea ‘Sutton’s Apricot’
Digitalis purpurea ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ is a well-loved variety, and it’s one of the best foxglove varieties to grow if you’re looking for soft pink blooms.
‘Digitalis, I think, are really easy plants to grow,’ said garden designer Katy Terry as she showed me around The ADHD Foundation Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this week. Among the planting were ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ foxgloves.
‘I wouldn’t be frightened to bring some of your taller plants, like foxgloves, to the front of a border,’ Katy added.
Garden designer Harriet Worsley is also a fan of this variety. ‘I love ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ for its sunset glow,’ she says. Just make sure you know exactly when to plant foxglove seeds if you’ll be growing the blooms from scratch.
You can buy Digitalis purpurea ‘Sutton’s Apricot’ from Crocus.
2. Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s Choice’
One of the most popular foxglove varieties is Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s Choice’, which featured in the Children With Cancer UK ‘A Place To Be…’ Garden. It was chosen ‘to introduce an element of fun and carefreeness’, and the blooms are striking, with white outer petals and deep maroon throats.
This variety also holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit, so it’s safe to say it’s expert-approved. It’s suitable for growing in containers, and it’s one of the best plants for bees, too.
You can buy Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s Choice’ from Sarah Raven.
3. Digitalis grandiflora
Another feature of The ADHD Foundation Garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show is Digitalis grandiflora, with large yellow blooms. It’s actually also known as the large yellow foxglove.
It’s bigger than other foxglove varieties, but it’s one of the best foxglove varieties to grow if you’re looking for a trusty perennial. While many foxgloves are annuals, the large yellow foxglove bounces back to life every spring.
Digitalis grandiflora is available to buy at Crocus.
4. Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’
For pure-white blooms, gardening and greenhouse expert Lucie Bradley from Easy Garden Irrigation recommends Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’. In fact, it’s one of the best cottage garden plants out there.
”Alba’ is a distinctive foxglove due to its almost pure white blooms and is perfect for both cottage gardens and minimalist schemes,’ Lucie says. ‘Growing to just over a metre tall on average, they are great for the middle to the back of garden borders.
‘They are best positioned where they will receive at least four to six hours of sunshine.’
You can buy Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’ from Thompson & Morgan.
5. Digitalis purpurea
We’ve covered three Digitalis purpurea varieties already, but I thought I’d round off this list of the best foxglove varieties to grow with the original Digitalis purpurea, also known as the common foxglove.
‘Although there are many different varieties to choose from, I always go back to the native, gorgeous, bright-pink foxglove, Digitalis purpurea,’ says Harriet. ‘In the wild in the UK, they love a dappled glade rather than full shade, so try them at the back of a garden border or near deciduous trees.’
You can buy Digitalis purpurea from Crocus.
Foxgloves are all the rage at the Chelsea Flower Show again this year, and they’re really easy to grow at home. Which varieties have you got your eye on?
Read the full article here
