What To Do With Foxgloves After Flowering

Foxgloves are a classic garden flower that can put on a gorgeous display in early to mid summer. Their tall spikes of tubular flowers come in shades of purple, pink, white, yellow and red. Foxgloves self-seed freely around the garden and make a great addition to cottage garden schemes. But what should you do once those showy blooms have finished flowering? Read on for tips on caring for foxgloves after bloom time.

Deadheading Foxgloves

When those towers of tubular foxglove blooms start fading on the stalk, it’s time to break out the pruners! Deadheading is simply removing spent flowers just below the faded bloom. This gardening ritual encourages more blooms and keeps plants looking fresh.

For biennial foxgloves, deadheading after the first flush of flowers is key to coaxing a second round of blooms on shorter stalks later in summer. Trust me, it’s worth the effort for more of those gorgeous bell-shaped blossoms!

When to Snip

Start deadheading foxgloves as soon as flowers fade or look unsightly. Don’t wait until the last bloom fades. Patrol your garden bed regularly and snip off individual finished flower stalks.

• Deadhead flowers from the bottom up: Flowers bloom progressively from bottom to top. Remove lower spent blooms promptly so the upper buds can open.
• Cut back the entire stalk when blooming is done: Chop off the entire flower stalk down to the basal leaves once the top foxglove flowers finish blooming.

How to Deadhead Foxgloves

Deadheading foxgloves is super easy:

• Use hand pruners or garden scissors/snips.
• Snip spent bloom stems just below the faded flower.
• For finished flower stalks, cut down to the green basal leaves.
• Remove all dead and damaged leaves at the base.

Be sure to sanitize your pruners with rubbing alcohol between plants to prevent disease spread!

The Benefits of Deadheading Foxgloves

Here’s why deadheading is so important for foxgloves:

• Encourages reblooming: Removing spent flowers right away promotes a second flush of foxglove flowers. More flowers, yay!
• Maintains a tidy garden: Deadheading keeps your garden looking fresh and cared for.
• Controls rampant spread: Foxgloves produce thousands of seeds! Deadheading limits unwanted volunteers sprouting everywhere next spring.
• Prevents self-sowing: Letting seeds scatter encourages foxgloves to spread aggressively. Deadheading curtails self-sowing.

The main downside is you’ll have fewer self-sown foxglove seedlings. But for most gardens, preventing rampant spread is a good thing.

Does this engage you? Let me know if you would modify or expand on any part of the section!

Cutting Back Flower Spikes

In addition to deadheading individual spent blooms, you can also cut back the entire flower spike once all the blooms have finished. Use clean, sterilized secateurs to cut each spike back down to the base of the plant. Make the cut just above a leaf node.

This helps keep foxgloves looking neat and compact after flowering rather than leaving bare spikes standing up. It also removes the old flower stems that can harbor pests and diseases. As well as potentially encouraging a second bloom, cutting flower spikes back in this way can improve the plant’s overwintering.

Pruning Foxglove Foliage

The basal rosette of leaves at the base of foxglove plants remain evergreen over winter But the larger upper leaves on the flower spikes die back after bloom time Pruning off the damaged and faded upper foliage in late summer/early fall helps rejuvenate the plant.

Make cuts just above healthy leaves lower down on the stem using sterilized pruners. Take care not to damage the crown of the plant where new growth emerges. Removing tattered foliage also prevents issues with foliar diseases taking hold.

Allowing Foxgloves to Self-Seed

Many gardeners simply let foxgloves self-seed around the garden once flowering is over. The tall spires laden with seeds will gradually break apart and scatter seeds over the nearby soil. These seeds will lie dormant over winter before germinating the following spring.

If you have a designated foxglove area, allowing self-seeding is an easy way to ensure new plants for years to come. However foxglove seeds can spread and may pop up where you don’t want them. Be prepared to weed out seedlings around the garden.

Collecting and Saving Foxglove Seeds

You can collect seeds from spent foxglove spikes to save and sow yourself. Identify seed pods that are brown and crispy looking – this indicates ripe seeds. Carefully cut off the entire dried spike once the majority of pods look mature.

Place the cut spikes in paper bags and allow to further dry out somewhere shady, cool and dry. After a couple of weeks, give the bag a shake to separate the seeds. Store the collected seeds in envelopes or glass jars in a cool location ready for planting out in fall.

Leaving Foliage Over Winter

In regions where foxgloves are hardy and overwinter well, you can simply leave the plant intact after flowering is finished. Allow the foliage to die back naturally without cutting anything back. This provides shelter for beneficial insects who use the hollow stems for hibernation habitat.

The basal leaves remain to capture sunlight over winter. Come spring, prune away any damaged growth and apply an organic fertilizer or compost top dressing around the crown. New growth will soon emerge and blooms will follow in summer.

Dividing Overgrown Clumps

Mature foxglove clumps that have outgrown their space can be divided in fall after flowering. Dig up the whole clump and divide it into smaller sections using two forks back to back. Replant the divisions 18-24 inches apart.

Dividing overcrowded plants rejuvenates them and results in healthier, more prolific blooming plants. It also gives you more foxgloves from one original plant. Water the replanted divisions well until they establish.

Best Time to Cut Back Foxgloves

Foxgloves have a relatively short bloom period in early to midsummer. The timing of cutting them back depends on your climate and whether you want to encourage a second flush of flowers:

• In warmer zones, cut back flower spikes as soon as blooms fade to encourage reblooming on side shoots.
• In cooler climates, leave flowering stems intact until late summer then cut back.
• Everywhere, cut back damaged foliage in late summer/fall to tidy plants before winter.
• Leave basal foliage intact over winter for insect habitat then trim in spring.

Caring for Foxgloves After Flowering

Spring blooms are just the start of the foxglove growing season! Proper care after flowering ensures healthy, vigorous plants that return year after year.

Watering

Foxgloves appreciate consistent moisture, especially while establishing the first year.

• Water thoroughly at soil level after planting and deadheading.
• Provide 1-2 inches of water per week during the first growing season.
• Water mature plants regularly if rainfall is scarce.
• Avoid wetting the foliage to discourage disease.

Feeding

Apply a balanced fertilizer or compost around foxgloves in early spring when new growth emerges.

• Liquid fertilizer applied monthly provides nutrients for establishing plants.
• Established foxglove plants are fairly low maintenance and don’t require regular feeding.

Staking

Tall, top-heavy flower stalks may need staking to prevent flopping.

• Insert stakes around clumps before blooms open.
• Use plant Velcro or soft ties to gently secure flower stalks to stakes.

Division & Cut Back

• Divide overcrowded foxglove clumps in fall every 2-3 years.
• Cut back foliage to the ground after frost for winter interest and tidy appearance.

Proper aftercare keeps foxgloves flowering happily year after year! Let me know if you would expand on any part of this section.

Troubleshooting Common Foxglove Problems

Foxgloves are easygoing plants, but occasionally issues pop up. Here are some common foxglove problems and how to fix them:

No Blooms

If foxgloves fail to bloom, there are a few possible causes:

• Not enough sun – foxgloves need at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Move to a sunnier spot.
• Improper pruning – cutting back foliage too early prevents flowering. Always allow leaves to die back naturally.
• First year plants – remember most foxgloves won’t bloom until their second spring. Be patient!

Flopping Flower Stalks

Foxglove’s tall spires sometimes flop over from weak stems or exposure. Prevent flopping with:

• Staking – Install stakes around plants before blooms open and gently tie stems.
• Site selection – Choose a spot with shelter from wind and rains.
• Sunlight – Ensure foxgloves get ample sun to strengthen stems.

Rampant Spread

Do foxgloves multiply aggressively in your garden each year? This is likely due to reseeding.

• Deadhead plants promptly after blooming finishes to prevent seed spread.
• Cut off spent flower spikes at their base instead of just below the flower.
• Pull unwanted seedlings as they sprout to control spread.

Check back for troubleshooting other common perennial problems! Let me know if you would modify or expand this section at all.