Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd
Foxglove Primrose Yellow
Foxglove Primrose Yellow
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Foxglove 'Primrose Yellow' Seeds
While the common purple Foxglove is a classic, 'Primrose Yellow' brings a whole new level of sophistication to the border. It produces tall, majestic spikes densely packed with soft, creamy-lemon bells, often speckled inside with tiny chocolate freckles.
This pale colour is incredibly valuable in garden design because it "lights up" dark corners. Plant it under trees, along a north-facing wall, or at the back of a border, and the pale yellow flowers will glow in the dim light. It is a favourite of bees (especially the long-tongued Carder bee) and adds instant height and drama to any cottage garden.
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🌿 Understanding the Plant
This Foxglove is a Hardy Biennial.
It follows the traditional two-year cycle.
Year 1: You sow the seeds in summer. The plant grows a low rosette of soft, hairy leaves.
Year 2: It shoots up a tall flower spike, blooms spectacularly in early summer, drops its seeds, and then dies.
Top Tip: Allow it to self-seed! Once you have established a patch, they will drop seeds and renew themselves naturally, giving you free plants forever.
🌱 Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow
Foxglove seeds are tiny (dust-like) and need light to germinate.
Germination:
Sow indoors in April-May or outdoors in June-July. Scatter the seeds on the surface of moist compost. Do not cover them—they need light to trigger growth. Germination takes 14-21 days.
Where to Sow:
They love shade or semi-shade. They are the perfect woodland plant. They thrive in soil that holds moisture (humus-rich), so dig in plenty of leaf mould or compost before planting.
Care While Growing:
Planting Out: Move young plants to their final position in Autumn (Sept/Oct) so they can establish roots before winter.
Aftercare: After the main spike has flowered, cut it down to the base. This often encourages smaller side-shoots to flower later in the summer.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Latin Name | Digitalis purpurea |
| Common Name | Foxglove 'Primrose Yellow' |
| Hardiness | H7 (Very Hardy) |
| Light Required | Shade / Part Shade ⛅ |
| Height | ↕️ 100cm - 120cm (Tall) |
| Spread | ↔️ 45cm |
| Spacing | 🌱 45cm apart |
| Great for | 🌳 Under Trees 🐝 Bumblebees ☁️ Brightening Shade 🏡 Cottage Gardens |
| Seed Count | Approx. 1000 seeds (Dust-like) |
🤝 Perfect Garden Companions
This creamy-yellow foxglove looks stunning when paired with other shade-lovers in purple or white:
- 💜 Sweet Rocket 'Purple' (Hesperis): The Woodland Pair. Sweet Rocket and Foxgloves are the best of friends. They both thrive in dappled shade and flower at the same time (May/June). The purple Hesperis makes the pale yellow Foxglove look even brighter.
- 🌙 Honesty (Lunaria): The Early/Late Show. Honesty flowers slightly earlier, leaving behind green seed pods just as the Foxglove reaches its peak. They share the same woodland aesthetic and love the same soil conditions.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Sow in summer. Plant out in autumn. Flowers the following summer (May-July).
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow Outdoors | 🟢 | 🟢 | ||||||||||
| Plant Out | 🌱 | 🌱 | ||||||||||
| Flowers (Yr 2) | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 |
⚠️ Toxicity Warning
Foxgloves are highly toxic if ingested. This is a natural defence against rabbits and deer, but it means you should wash your hands after handling seeds or plants, and keep them away from small children.
🏆 Officially Recognised Excellence
This is a top-tier pollinator plant. Digitalis purpurea is listed on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list and is specially evolved to feed long-tongued bees.
