Botanical name: Digitalis purpurea    
Folk names: Fairies thimbles, fairy bells

Type: Biennial

Wildlife: Nectar for long-tongued garden bumblebees. Blue tits spotted balancing on stems when in seed in my garden. Food plant for several moths including the foxglove pug, angle shades and lesser yellow underwing. Caterpillars are an important food source for birds (blue tits need a huge amount to feed their young), and hedgehogs if they can access your garden. Moths are vital food for bats.

Flowers: June to September

Decorative merit: Tubular, bell-shaped, pinkish purple flowers 4-5cm long, with white and purple-spotted speckles on the inside. One-sided tier of ten to forty hanging flowers on tall stems. Rosette of soft, downy grey-green leaves in first year, flowers and stems in second year.  Up to 150cm high. Sheds seeds nearby to create naturalistic drifts if soil is well-drained.

Where: Sun or shade. Back of border, along a fence, wall or hedge or in the dappled shade of trees.

Culture: It was believed that fairies gave a fox bells to wear as magic slippers, ensuring a silent approach to the chickens in the poultry yard!

Donate seeds to Exeter Seed Bank