Digitalis / Foxgloves and toxicity to dogs

solidliquiduk · June 2023

Hi All,

I'm thinking of planting some Digitalis but understand they are highly toxic both to dogs and humans. Should I avoid and if so, is there anything similar I can plant instead at the back of my garden border?

Thanks
Daz

Dovefromabove · June 2023

Unless your dog has acquired the habit of eating random plants then I would have no hesitation about growing foxgloves. They’ve been in every garden I’ve ever had and I’ve had dogs all my life until very recently. And don’t forget, foxes are dogs and they and foxgloves have coexisted perfectly happily in woodland since time immemorial.

There are many more toxic plants that we grow quite happily in our gardens without giving them a second though … eg potatoes and rhubarb. Both toxic if the wrong parts are eaten … but dogs don’t eat them 😀

Buttercupdays · June 2023

I have sheep and foxgloves grow wild in the fields here. Occasionally a lamb will take an exploratory nibble at a leaf, but otherwise the foxgloves are left untouched. The lambs come to no harm.

Unless your dog has particularly deranged eating habits I think you need have no cause for concern

JennyJ · June 2023

If in doubt, keep an eye on the dog when it's in the garden and train it not to eat plants.

Pete.8 · June 2023

My garden has dozens of self seeded foxgloves every year.
I've also had dogs for over 20 years. They show no interest in foxgloves whatsoever.
The only plant my dog shows interest in is grass - mostly lawn grass - I leave a little patch to grow tall so she can nibble at it.
Annoyingly she is also keen on nibbling the new blades of my Hakonechloa as they appear in spring 🙄

WAMS · June 2023

I'd plant and watch. My very bad dog has no interest in foxgloves or blue bells. She's too busy munching on the newly reseeded lawn or my most prized roses

Pete.8 · June 2023

The active ingredient in foxgloves is digoxin which is extremely bitter-tasting, so there's no reason for dogs to be interested in them.

solidliquiduk · June 2023

Thanks everyone. Has put our mind at rest. Foxgloves are so pretty and I didn't realise they self seed which I assume means we'll get 'more for our money' as time goes on!

Are they fast growing as we're going to be planting out our border this weekend?

thevictorian · June 2023

I planted about 500 foxgloves one year in our garden (normal sized semi detached garden) and our dog totally ignored them as most dogs do. They are quick growing because the normal types are biennial, so they grow one year and flower the next. Some can live a little longer but they generally die after flowering and the space provided is where the new ones pop up. A few I grew last year are flowering now at about 6-7ft tall but most are in the 4-5ft range.
There are some perennial types as well and some exotic hybrids but I normally just grow the native species which can't be beaten.

Dovefromabove · June 2023

Id have thought it’s a bit late to plant foxgloves to flower this year … ours have been blooming for a few weeks now and will soon be over.

You could buy some this year’s plug plants (seedlings down this year) and if you plant them out now they’ll be strong plants to flower next year. You could also scatter some foxglove seed in the garden next summer, give them some water and leave them to get on with it … then you’ll have two 2-year cycles on the go and you’ll have foxgloves blooming every May.

If you want some tall plants to bloom this summer you could try delphiniums… but you will have to watch out for marauding slugs.

solidliquiduk · June 2023

The one's I'll be planting on Saturday are flowering at the moment so I assume they'll be no flowers next year right?

Digitalis / Foxgloves and toxicity to dogs

Posts