Foxgloves

[Laurasanford789]

Hello

I want some height for a new border I have created, I love the cottage garden look I have already got a lot of perennials in there and just sowed some poppies but I really want some foxgloves in there but I know they are toxic to animals and children, they wouldn't really be able to get to them as will be at back of border, do you have children and or pets and still have these? I've looked at alternatives, don't mention delphiniums to me haha I've had 0 luck over last 3 years with them!!

Thank you

My dogs never went near the foxgloves.
Would your children be inclined to eat garden plants?

I have a DC and two cats. No problem with fox gloves and will be planting more this year as usual.

I used to have a collection of foxglove species for years. No children but pets aplenty, never a problem with any of them eating it.

I have foxgloves, no problems. FYI they only flower every other year and can be very hit and miss. An alternative for height at the back of the border - with spike like flowers - are lupins and veronicastrums.

I have them as well as kids and dog and no problems, but dog doesn’t eat any of the plants and I know some do.

Grew up with a garden full of foxgloves and survived, I think by the time we were regularly out there unsupervised we knew not to touch them

My DC and cats have never been inclined to eat any flowers - inside or out.

Haven’t so far had any issues with the dog trying to eat them but having said that he is a Golden Retriever and he’s a bit random - I’m just hoping for the best! 😁
If you do plant them though, be prepared to have a lot because they self seed like mad. I’ve got at least three times as many this year than I actually planted, free plants!

My cat has no interest in our foxgloves. If you want them for this year, you'll have to buy plants though. They self-seed really well.

If you're talking about Digitalis purpurea they can be biennial or a short lived perennial, those that are the latter flower every year they are alive.

If you have children who can understand not to touch them then you’ll be fine. Even my autistic kid knows not to touch them to be fair. Touching them alone is not actually too much risk if it’s just a brush of a hand, it’s more if they get broken up and ripped apart, and certainly they cannot be consumed.

I’ve million of 'em, and all the dogs of my life (ten) have never touched them. One did eat some snowdrop bulbs I was in the process of moving, necessitating a dose of charcoal from the vet, but that's the the only time in fifty years. I think most animals sense what is not good for them.

What else do you have in your garden? I bet there are several things that would not do anyone any good to eat, but which aren't labelled "poison" so you don't worry about them. Foxgloves grew wild everywhere when I was growing up I don't recall anyone dying from eating foxgloves or other random plants.

I’ve got lots of random foxgloves, neither our dogs nor DD were harmed by them. The countryside is full of them anyway.
I’ve got quite a lot of toxic plants including monkshood (wolfbane!) - DD knew to keep out of the flowerbeds (apart from poisons obviously there are plenty of thorns, a few nettles etc) and to never eat anything unless I’d specifically ok’d it. You simply don’t leave a kid in the garden unsupervised till they’re old enough to be responsible.
The dog seemed to know what he could and couldn’t nibble.

Pets ignore them, children aren't left unsupervised in the garden until they are old enough to kow they don't put random stuff in their mouths.

It's pretty easy to teach your children not to snack on the flowers.

The only plant I really worry about with pets is cats and lillies as they can brush past them, get the pollen on them and then lick it off. It's really bad for them.

We have loads - they don't seem to have bothered the cats and when the dcs were young I took them out to the garden, pointed out the foxgloves and said 'These are poisonous so don't touch or eat them'. Job done everyone has lived to adulthood.

We grow them and have kids. Tbh you will never keep your kids safe from them, as they grow allover the place, so it's better to make sure they know never to eat a plant unless an adult confirms it's safe.

It is really important that they understand though - foxgloves are incredibly poisonous (a famous botanist committed suicide by eating 2 leaves, and that's a fully grown man). It's not just a dodgy stomach thing!