Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Tall white tubular flowers in late spring that hummingbirds and native bees work intensively. Seeds readily to naturalize meadows and edges.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
A tall, vigorous native beardtongue that naturalizes well and delivers dense white flower spikes for hummingbirds and native bees in late spring.
Foxglove Beardtongue is a native standout in late spring: tall, stout, and covered in inflated white tubular flowers that hummingbirds and native bees work intensively. It grows across a wide range of conditions from moist to dry, adapts to most soil types, and seeds into open ground readily, which means once you have it, you tend to keep it. The glossy green foliage is attractive before and after bloom. This is the straight species, more vigorous and taller than the 'Husker Red' cultivar, and an excellent choice for naturalizing in a meadow or along a woodland edge. It fills in and spreads modestly over time, forming loose colonies that look appropriately wild in informal settings. A workhorse native with real ecological value as both a pollen and nectar source early in the season.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown beardtongue propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft · 18–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- May–June
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America. moist to dry open woods, fields, roadsides from Maine to South Dakota south to Texas and Florida
Care notes for beardtongue.
Plant in full sun to part shade in any well-drained soil. Tolerates moist conditions better than most penstemons. Allow some self-seeding for naturalized settings; deadhead promptly if you want to limit spread. The semi-evergreen basal rosette should be left through winter. Divide congested clumps every three years to maintain vigor. Very low maintenance once established.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside beardtongue.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.