Penstemon digitalis

Grow Foxglove Penstemon in your garden and enjoy spires of white tubular flowers and the native bees, hummingbirds, and bumblebees it attracts.

This native perennial is known by quite a few common names, including Mississippi Penstemon, Smooth White beardtongue and Talus Slope penstemon. It is hardy in zones 3 to 8. Grow it in full sun or partial shade and enjoy flowers for a month or more in late spring through mid-summer.

Foxglove beardtongue prefers fertile well-drained soil but tolerates clay soil and once established dry and occasionally wet conditions. This adaptability to soil moisture makes it a great choice for rain gardens.

But don’t limit it to those gardens. The 2 to 5 feet tall plant also looks great and performs well in perennials gardens, mixed borders and natural plantings. And the deer tend to leave this beauty be.

A bit more information: The word digitalis in Penstemon digitalis’s botanical name is Latin for finger. Take a close look at the flowers and you may see that they look like the finger of a glove.