812-217-7207
reseednursery@gmail.comPerennial • $6, 4-inch pot
| Height | 3 to 4 ft |
| Spacing | 1.5 to 2 ft |
| Sun Exposure | Full to Part Sun |
| Soil Moisture | Medium |
| Bloom Color | White |
| Bloom Time | April, May, June |
| Companion Plantings | Dense Blazing Star, Ohio Spiderwort, False Sunflower |
| Special Attributes |  |
Penstemon digitalis
Large (up to 1″), showy white-to-pink tubular flowers top sturdy stems on this plant in late Spring, attracting many types of long-tongued bees, including bumblebees, mason bees, miner bees, and leaf-cutter bees. It is a joy to cultivate this easy-to-grow plant, which is tolerant of light shade and clay soil. Foxglove Penstemon will readily fill-in any nearby bare soil and it will hold its own against the encroachment of weeds or larger plants, but is not itself an aggressive spreader. This plant is relatively disease-free and largely avoided my mammalian herbivores, although its foliage may decline during periods of extended drought.
Penstemon digitalis is host to around 9 butterfly and moth species in the Louisville/Southern Indiana area, including the Baltimore Checkerspot (pictured above) and the Common Buckeye. Hummingbirds may also visit the flowers.
The species epithet refers to flowers’ resemblance to Foxgloves (Digitalis spp.), which can persist for over a month. The basal rosette will also usually overwinter and take on a reddish-green hue, making an excellent groundcover. Another common name for this plant is Smooth Penstemon, as its stems and leaves are hairless, a characteristic uncommon to other members of this genus. Yet another common name, Beardtongue, is in reference to the presence of small hairs on its sterile flower stamens.
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