WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Digitalis lanata, WUCOLS IV

How often to water woolly foxglove in California

In July on the north-central coast, established woolly foxglove in loam needs a deep watering about every 22 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.5 gallons a week. Woolly foxglove, also called Grecian foxglove, is an upright perennial with a rosette of evergreen, lance-shaped leaves. In summer it sends up long spikes of small cream to pale yellow flowers veined with brown. It does best in sun or light shade with well-drained soil, and the plant is toxic if eaten.

PerennialRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water woolly 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 woolly 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

  • Dry soil 3 inches down beside the rosette tells you woolly foxglove is ready for water
  • Lance-shaped leaves that flag and stay soft into the morning can indicate a dry root zone
  • Leaf tips browning in summer heat warrant a check below the surface
  • A rosette that yellows and slumps in wet soil can point to rot from poor drainage
  • Sticky leaves with clusters of small insects point to aphids, a pest rather than a water problem

How to water it

  • Water woolly foxglove at the edge of the rosette with drip or a watering can, keeping the crown dry
  • Soak the soil about 8 inches deep, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Give it well-drained soil in sun or light shade, mixing grit into heavy clay or planting on a slope
  • Mulch lightly with gravel or fine bark, keeping it off the rosette
  • Keep the watered spot centered on the rosette and widen it slightly as the clump fills out

Through the seasons

Give a new woolly foxglove regular water through its first summer while it roots in. Once established, its needs depend on where it grows. The evergreen rosette keeps its leaves through winter, and the flower spikes rise in summer. Irrigation matters most from spring growth through bloom. Coastal rain usually keeps the soil moist through the cool months on the north-central coast. WUCOLS rates woolly foxglove low water on the north-central coast and moderate water in South Inland. The Central Valley and the south coast have not been evaluated by WUCOLS. It marks woolly foxglove as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Woolly foxglove suits a deep pot of gritty, well-drained mix in a sunny or lightly shaded spot. In summer heat, feel the mix 2 inches down every few days, and water once that layer is dry. Water until it runs from the drainage holes, then empty the saucer so the rosette never sits in water. Snip the main spike as it fades to get side shoots. In winter, water sparingly and keep the pot where rain cannot leave it waterlogged.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Woolly Foxglove for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Woolly Foxglove as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15––0.78––
Feb0.21––0.87––
Mar0.35––1.3––
Apr0.47––1.61––
May0.58––1.95––
Jun0.64––2.29––
Jul0.64––2.51––
Aug0.6––2.33––
Sep0.5––1.86––
Oct0.35––1.33––
Nov0.19––0.9––
Dec0.12––0.68––
Year4.8––18.41––

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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like woolly foxglove. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Lilyleaf LadybellsAdenophora liliifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingArnicaArnica montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFrilly BergeniaBergenia ciliatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCabbage on a StickBrighamia insignisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBasket PlantCallisia fragransnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingForest SedgeCarex sylvaticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella DracaenaDianella ensifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRusty FoxgloveDigitalis ferrugineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBig-Flowered FoxgloveDigitalis grandifloranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSunset FoxgloveDigitalis obscuranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMale FernDryopteris filix-masnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine Sea HollyEryngium alpinumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueen of the MeadowFilipendula ulmarianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDropwortFilipendula vulgaris (Filipendula hexapetala)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGentianGentiana scabra procumbensnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes woolly 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 much water does woolly foxglove need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established woolly foxglove needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.3 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 woolly foxglove change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates woolly foxglove separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated 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.

Is woolly foxglove poisonous?

Yes. It is toxic if eaten, to pets as well as people. Wear gloves when you handle it, and keep it away from vegetable beds and play areas.

Does woolly foxglove need full sun?

It grows in partial shade but generally does better in a sunnier spot. More sun dries the soil faster, so check moisture closely in summer.

Should I cut off woolly foxglove flower spikes?

Remove the main spike once it fades, and side shoots usually follow. Leave a spike or two if you want seed. Keep the rosette lightly watered while the side shoots open.

Can you overwater woolly foxglove?

Yes. It grows in most soils but not very wet ones. Water that stays around the rosette can rot it, so let the top few inches dry before soaking again.

How tall does woolly foxglove get?

It reaches up to about 3 feet tall in bloom, with a narrow spread. That slim habit fits between larger plants. Those neighbors compete for water, so check the soil right beside it.

How do I propagate woolly foxglove?

Sow seed in pots in late spring, or divide a clump carefully in early spring. Keep new divisions and seedlings evenly moist until they root.

More plant watering guides

Frilly BergeniaBismarck PalmCabbage on a StickBasket PlantForest SedgeAmerican HornbeamJapanese HornbeamChilean Feather Bamboo

Sources