WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Digitalis purpurea cvs, WUCOLS IV

How often to water foxglove in California

In July in the Central Valley, established foxglove in loam needs a deep watering about every 3 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Foxglove usually begins as a low rosette of coarse, hairy leaves, then sends up a tall flower spike the following year. Blooms appear in late spring or summer. It prefers consistently moist soil and afternoon shade. Every part is poisonous if eaten, so choose a site children and pets cannot browse.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water foxglove, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for foxglove and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1 foot of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry an inch or two down beneath a foxglove rosette signals it needs water during active growth
  • Lower leaves wilting and crisping at the edges in afternoon sun can indicate the root zone has dried out
  • A flower spike that stalls or opens only a few blooms can follow a dry stretch during bud development
  • Yellowing, collapsing foxglove leaves over saturated soil warrant a drainage check before adding water
  • Spots or powdery patches on foxglove leaves need inspection rather than extra irrigation

How to water it

  • Water foxglove at the soil surface beneath the rosette rather than wetting the hairy leaves overhead
  • Soak the root zone a few inches deep, then let the top layer dry before watering again
  • Spread a thin mulch layer around the rosette to hold moisture without burying the crown
  • Use rich, well-drained soil, working in compost where heavy ground stays soggy after rain
  • Give afternoon shade in hot inland gardens to slow how fast the bed dries out

Through the seasons

A newly planted foxglove rosette needs steady moisture through its first year as it builds the leaves that will fuel next year's bloom. When flower spikes develop in late spring or summer, avoid letting the root area dry out. Many plants decline or die after flowering, behaving as biennials, though some self-sown seedlings carry a patch forward in following years. Winter rain can reduce irrigation on the coast and in the Central Valley; check rosette soil before adding water. WUCOLS rates foxglove moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland, and high water in the Central Valley. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert and the low desert.

In pots

Foxglove grows well in a part-shaded container with rich, free-draining mix. Check the top inch of soil often during California summer heat, since a pot in bright light still dries between waterings. Water thoroughly until it drains through the holes, then pour off anything left in the saucer. Keep the pot out of reach of curious pets or children, since every part of the plant is poisonous. Check drainage after winter rain and shelter young potted rosettes. Many plants die after flowering, so plan for replacements.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
4.27gal per sq ft in JulyHigh water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
27.38 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
1.12.13.24.30.64JAN1.04FEB1.74MAR2.43APR3.32MAY3.97JUN4.27JUL3.82AUG2.88SEP1.88OCT0.89NOV0.55DEC1.12.13.24.30.64JFM2.43AMJ4.27JAS1.88OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 4.27 in Jul, 27.38 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Foxglove: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.640.780.78––
Feb0.531.040.810.87––
Mar0.871.741.151.3––
Apr1.182.431.41.61––
May1.463.321.611.95––
Jun1.613.971.742.29––
Jul1.614.271.982.51––
Aug1.493.821.862.33––
Sep1.242.881.491.86––
Oct0.871.881.151.33––
Nov0.470.890.840.9––
Dec0.310.550.650.68––
Year1227.3815.518.41––

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated high water in the Central Valley, like foxglove. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Japanese Sweet FlagAcorus gramineushigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRed GingerAlpinia purpuratahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyShell GingerAlpinia zerumbethigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySiberian BuglossBrunnera macrophyllahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyMarsh MarigoldCaltha palustrishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella Sedge and PapyrusCyperus spp. (CA native and non-native species)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella PlantDarmera peltata (Peltiphyllum)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyLeopard PlantFarfugium japonicum cvs. (Ligularia tussilaginea cvs.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyTransvaal DaisyGerbera jamesonii & hybridshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyGiant GunneraGunnera manicatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyWhite Ginger LilyHedychium coronariumhigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese IrisIris ensatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRushJuncus aquatic spp. (native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCardinal FlowerLobelia cardinalis hybrids and cvs. (CA native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBananaMusa spp. (shade in low desert)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySensitive FernOnoclea sensibilishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than foxglove in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes foxglove, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water foxglove in summer?

In July, established foxglove in loam needs a deep watering about every 3 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does foxglove need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established foxglove needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for foxglove change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates foxglove separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, high water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Why didn't my foxglove flower in its first year?

A leafy first year is normal for biennial foxgloves, with flowers usually appearing the next growing season. Some cultivars behave differently, so check the plant label before treating missing flowers as a watering problem. Maintain moist, draining soil around the rosette.

Will foxglove come back after it flowers?

The flowering stem usually declines after bloom and the parent plant often dies. Letting a few seed pods mature before cleanup can let self-sown seedlings carry the patch forward. New seedlings need the same steady moisture as the original planting.

Is foxglove safe to grow where I have pets or kids?

No part of the plant is safe to eat, since it contains compounds that affect the heart. Plant it away from edible garden beds and areas where pets or children play. Wash your hands after handling cut stems or spent flowers.

Does foxglove need shade in a hot inland garden?

Afternoon shade is a good choice for foxglove, especially where heat dries the soil quickly. It still needs a moist, well-drained root area under that shade. Choose exposure using the site's conditions rather than assuming every coastal garden needs less protection.

Why are my foxglove's lower leaves turning yellow and mushy?

Foxglove needs moisture without persistent saturation. If its leaves become soft or collapse over wet soil, check drainage and inspect the crown before watering again. Those symptoms alone do not identify a particular rot disease.

More plant watering guides

WillowSteviaDelphiniumCoast RedwoodVariegated Sweet FlagChameleon HouttuyniaBaby's TearsBellflower

Sources