Beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

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.