Pale Beardtongue
Penstemon pallidus
One of the most adaptable beardtongues: slender white spikes in late spring, tolerant of clay, with tidy rosettes that persist through winter.
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
One of the most cold-hardy and soil-adaptable native penstemons, with white-to-lavender spring spikes for early pollinators.
Pale beardtongue is the meadow and roadsidePenstemon of the mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest, one of the most adaptable and cold-hardy of the genus. The flowers are white with faint lavender guidelines inside the tube, small and numerous on slender upright spikes. They open in late spring and carry into early summer, attracting bumblebees and other native bees that probe the tubular flowers with their long tongues. Where other penstemons demand perfect drainage, this one tolerates a wider range of soils, including moderate clay. It forms tidy rosettes that persist through winter and spreads slowly by seed. Mass it in a meadow planting for a spring flush of white, or use it to fill gaps between stouter perennials that haven't leafed out yet.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown pale 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
- 1–2 ft · 9–15 in wide
- Bloom time
- May–June
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central United States from New England south to Georgia and west to Kansas and Nebraska
Care notes for pale beardtongue.
Full sun to light shade in dry to average, well-drained soil. More adaptable to clay than most penstemons but still resents waterlogged conditions. Shear back after flowering to keep plants tidy. Self-sows gently; seedlings transplant easily when small.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside pale 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’.