'Huskers Red' Beardtongue is an herbaceous perennial with showy white tubular flowers and maroon-red leaves and stems. The flowers are born on tall stems in panicles, late spring to early summer, and attract hummingbirds and bees. The foliage is maroon in spring, turning greener with age but with maroon veining. The stems remain red, making a nice contrast for the garden. Plant in well-drained, average to dry garden soil in full sun. It is drought-tolerant once established. Wet winter soils will cause root rot. Use in the pollinator garden, rock garden, the perennial border, cottage garden or a naturalized setting. More information on Penstemon digitalis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate; Oblong
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Basal leaves are elliptic and stem leaves are lance-shaped to oblong. The upper leaves are maroon when young and the lower leaves more green with maroon veins. Margins with fine serrations.
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
1-inch flowers are white, sometimes with pink blushing and pinkish-purple veins on the inside lower petal. 2-lipped tubular flowers in panicles in late spring to early summer.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Oval seed capsules, each containing numerous seeds from July to August.