Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'
Deep burgundy foliage all year, topped with white flower spikes in late spring. A Perennial Plant of the Year that hummingbirds visit reliably.
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
Twelve months of ornamental value: deep burgundy foliage all season, white spring flower spikes, and attractive seed heads through winter. all from a native plant.
'Husker Red' is a Perennial Plant of the Year selection that earns its keep twelve months a year. The foliage is a deep, glossy burgundy-red, dramatic in the garden even before the white flowers appear, and the color deepens further in fall and persists through winter as a semi-evergreen rosette. In late spring, tall white flower spikes rise above the dark foliage for a classic contrast that works in formal and naturalistic gardens alike. The white, pink-tinged tubular flowers attract hummingbirds, native bees, and bumblebees reliably through its May and June bloom period. It handles average to dry soils and is one of the more adaptable penstemons for garden use. The dried seed heads look good through winter and songbirds occasionally pick them over in late fall.
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
- 2–3 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, and roadsides from Maine to South Dakota south to Texas and Florida (species); cultivar selected in Nebraska
Care notes for beardtongue.
Plant in full sun to part shade in well-drained, average to dry soil. Avoid waterlogged conditions. The foliage color is most intense in full sun. Deadhead spent spikes after bloom to maintain plant vigor. Leave the semi-evergreen rosette through winter for color and garden structure. Divide every three to four years in spring when clumps begin to decline in the center.
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
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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’.