Smooth Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis)
Smooth Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis), Hardy, North American perennialDescription: White, tubular, 5-lobed flowers with thin purple lines to guide pollinators cluster on spires in mid-late spring; leaves are elliptical at base, becoming lance-shaped further up stem. Habit: Grows 3-5 feet high and up to 2 feet wide; flowers on erect, rigid stems; clump-forming.Culture: Prefers full sun to light shade and moist to dry, well-drained soil; drought tolerant.Hardiness: Cold hardy to USDA Zone 3Origin: Eastern United StatesAttributes: Attracts Bees, Butterflies, and Hummingbirds, Deer Resistant, Drought TolerantAlso known as Foxglove Beardtongue, this Penstemon is native to prairies and open woodlands from Maine to Georgia and west to South Dakota and Texas. Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon included the Smooth Penstemon in his list of "well-adapted" perennials for gardens in The American Gardener's Calendar (1806). In addition to attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and bumblebees, Penstemon digitalis will naturalize and is tolerant of deer, drought, and clay soils.Arrives in a 3.5" pot.