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Foxglove Beardtongue 'Husker Red' (Penstemon digitalis)

from $8.99

Botanical name: Penstemon digitalis ‍ ‍• Bloom season: Late spring to summer • Bloom color: White, Pink, and Yellow • Pollinator value: Tubular flowers sized for bumble bees and mason bees; hummingbirds • Host plant: Chalcedon checkerspot

Deep burgundy foliage in spring that holds its color into summer, topped by tall stems of clean white bells. The tubular flowers are favorites of bumblebees and mason bees, matching their sizes just right. More delicate than most purple penstemons, the flowers express three tones: white, pink, and yellow. A gorgeous companion is Penstemon palmeri, as seen in the photos.

Botanical name: Penstemon digitalis ‍ ‍• Bloom season: Late spring to summer • Bloom color: White, Pink, and Yellow • Pollinator value: Tubular flowers sized for bumble bees and mason bees; hummingbirds • Host plant: Chalcedon checkerspot

Deep burgundy foliage in spring that holds its color into summer, topped by tall stems of clean white bells. The tubular flowers are favorites of bumblebees and mason bees, matching their sizes just right. More delicate than most purple penstemons, the flowers express three tones: white, pink, and yellow. A gorgeous companion is Penstemon palmeri, as seen in the photos.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Penstemon digitalis

Cultivar: 'Husker Red'

Common Name: Foxglove Beardtongue

Native: Cultivar

Native Region: Eastern & Central N.A. (outside western regions)

Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Late spring to summer

Bloom Color: White over burgundy foliage

Pollinators: Bees; Hummingbirds

Host Plant: Chalcedon checkerspot

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 18"-24" x H 2'-3'

Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil

Pollinator Value: Tubular flowers sized for bumble bees and mason bees; hummingbirds work it too

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

USDA Zones: 3 to 8

Spread Habit: Clumping

Available As: Live plant

Growing Notes

Full sun to part sun in average, well-drained garden soil, with more tolerance for regular water than the desert penstemons here. That makes it the easiest penstemon to put in a conventional irrigated bed. Space about 18 inches apart. Husker Red leaves turn burgundy in the sun. In the shade, true green.

  • Water: Moderate

  • Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun

  • Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil

  • Mature size: W 18"-24" x H 2'-3'

Maintenance

Leave the stems standing through winter and cut back in late spring, keeping about a third for insects. Penstemons in general fail from too much water rather than too little, and while this is the most tolerant of the group, it still does not want wet feet in winter. It needs consistent moisture longer than other natives. A drip suits it best through year three, then reduce/remove watering in the fall/winter to strengthen the root system deeper. Known to be very drought-tolerant. Divide every three or four years. Seedlings often come up green rather than burgundy.