The open, bell-shaped flowers attract bees and insects who can often be seen feasting on the nectar-rich blooms. While you may know how to grow foxgloves, it is important to know what to do with foxgloves after they finish flowering. Learn how to deal with foxglove seeds after flowering.
You can let them reseed and form colonies, or deadhead and collect them for sowing or composting. Understand how to manage your foxgloves after the bloom fades, aligning care techniques with the plant's biennial or perennial life cycle. Biennial types can be dug up after they have set seed, but perennial foxgloves should be cut back between mid-autumn and spring, ready to bloom again the following year.
To maintain a lush, reblooming foxglove display, prune after flowering for a second bloom and tidy appearance. After foxgloves have finished flowering, there are a few things you can do. If you want to encourage a second flush of blooms or allow them to self-seed, you can deadhead the spent flowers.
For biennial types, you can dig them up after they have set seed. Perennial foxgloves, on the other hand, should be cut back for autumn. Yes, a huge part of this foxglove TLC involves caring for foxgloves after they've flowered.
Because of this, we've reached out to garden experts for advice on what to do with foxgloves after flowering if you want to enjoy these colourful flowers year after year. Foxgloves should be pruned immediately after flowering to avoid seed production, ideally down to 6-8 inches above ground level. Timing is important; deadheading spent blooms can trigger a second flowering, whereas letting them self.
FAQ Do you cut back foxglove after it blooms? Yes, you should cut back foxglove after it blooms. For biennial foxgloves, this helps prevent self-seeding and encourages a second, though possibly less prolific, bloom in the same year. How to keep foxgloves blooming all summer? To keep foxgloves blooming all summer, remove the spent flowers often to encourage new ones.
For nonstop flowering. Prune foxgloves after the first display of flowers to maintain a tidy looking garden and encourage a second flush. After flowering, cut back faded flower stems to ground level and collect seed from them.
For more information on growing foxgloves, consult the RHS expert guide on choosing, planting, feeding, pruning, and propagating plants.