Flowers › Foxglove

❀ Specialty Flower · Early Summer

Michigan Foxgloves

Few summer flowers make an entrance like foxglove, its freckled bells climbing a single tall spire that gives any bouquet instant height and drama.

Add foxgloves to a DIY bucket Request floral design

Foxglove grown by a Michigan Flower Barn farmer

Seasonal Availability

AprMayJunJulAugSepOctNov

About Foxgloves

Foxglove is the tall, freckled spire of the cottage garden, its tubular bells opening in a slow procession from the bottom of the stem to the tip. The throats are usually speckled with maroon or gold, a close-up detail that gives soft pink, rose, purple, cream, and apricot arrangements a romantic, old-fashioned feeling and instant height.

Foxglove is not a Michigan wildflower. The common cut type, Digitalis purpurea, is native to temperate Europe and has only naturalized in scattered parts of North America, so every spike at the barn is deliberately grown by our member farmers and timed to Michigan’s cool early-summer window. It is a biennial that flowers in its second year, and its long bells are built for bees, which climb right inside the tube to reach the nectar.

Because foxglove has such a short season, buying it from our collective means it was cut at peak by a Michigan farmer close by, not trucked in days ahead. Fresh-cut local spikes hold their shape and open cleaner, so you get the full ladder of bells. Reserve foxglove as a premium pick in a DIY bucket, request it in a made bucket, or ask our floral designers to build it into wedding and event work.

Foxgloves grown by a Michigan Flower Barn farmer

Foxgloves From Our Farmers

Foxglove at a Glance

In season (MI)

June through July

Colors

soft pink, rose, purple, cream, white, and apricot, usually with speckled throats

Stem length

24 to 48 inches

Best for

tall focal arrangements, garden-style bouquets, and wedding or event work

How to buy

Specialty DIY-bucket add-on, or custom design

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Forms & Varieties

Foxglove ranges from the traditional woodland spire to bred series with fuller, more colorful spikes, and these are the forms our farmers grow most often.

Common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

The tall, one-sided spire of tradition, with bells in pink and purple over freckled throats.

‘Camelot’ series

First-year bloomers with fuller spikes in cream, rose, and lavender tones, useful when farmers want flowers the same season they sow.

‘Excelsior’ group

Bells that circle the whole stem rather than hanging to one side, so the spike reads full from every angle in an arrangement.

‘Sutton’s Apricot’

A soft peachy apricot selection that pairs beautifully with muted, romantic palettes and neutral event work.

Care & Vase Life

Expect 5 to 7 days in the vase; cut or buy stems when only the lowest third of bells have opened, then recut under water before arranging.
Use a tall, weighted vase, the spikes are top-heavy and tip easily in a shallow container.
Change the water every two days and keep the vase out of direct sun and away from heat vents.
Strip any leaves that would sit below the waterline to keep the water clean.
Keep arrangements out of reach of children and pets, as every part of the plant is toxic if eaten.

When We Have Foxgloves

Foxglove is an early-summer flower in Michigan, arriving in June and usually finishing by late July once the heat sets in. A cool, damp spring stretches the season and gives us taller, better-filled spikes, while an early hot spell can push it fast. Every stem is grown by our member farmers across the region, so availability follows their fields week to week.

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Availability shifts week to week with the Michigan season, so colors and varieties vary. Reserve ahead for events, and check the shop for what our farmers have cut this week.

How to Get Foxgloves

DIY buckets

Add foxgloves to your bucket

Foxglove is a specialty flower, so it isn’t sold on its own. Add foxgloves as a premium selection when you reserve a DIY bucket, ideal for weddings and events you’re arranging yourself.

Reserve a DIY bucket

Floral design

Let us design it for you

Prefer it done for you? Our floral designers create custom, foxglove-forward arrangements and full wedding and event work. Pickup is at the barn; buyer members can also arrange local delivery.

Request floral design

Foxglove FAQs

Is foxglove poisonous?

Yes. All parts of the foxglove plant contain compounds that are toxic if ingested, so keep arrangements away from small children and pets and wash your hands after handling the stems.

How long does cut foxglove last in a vase?

Typically 5 to 7 days. Buying spikes with only the lower bells open gives you the longest show as the rest continue to unfurl.

Why is foxglove only available for a short time?

Foxglove is a biennial that blooms in early summer and finishes as the heat arrives, so its Michigan window is a matter of weeks rather than months.

Can I add foxglove to a wedding order?

Absolutely, it’s a favorite for garden-style and tall arrangements. Add it as a premium selection in a DIY bucket, or ask our designers to build it into custom event work.