Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Sun, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Soil Type: Sand, Loam, Loamy-Clay, Gravely
Height: 1.5 feet
Spread: 1 - 2 feet
Blooms: May, June
Root: Fibrous
Habitat: Dry rocky woodlands, Upland Prairies, dry-mesic Limestone glades, Upland savannas, Thinly wooded bluffs, Rocky cliffs
Landscape uses: Pollinator gardens, Meadow plantings, Naturalization
Complimentary Plants: Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Golden Alexanders, Ohio Spiderwort
Wildlife Value: The tubular flowers of this plant attract long-tongued bees, including Honeybees, Bumblebees, Carpenter bees and Mason bees. A mason bee, Osmia distincta, is an oligolege (specialist pollinator) of Penstemon spp. Host Plant: Baltimore Checkerspot
Seed Origin: Norfolk County, Ontario
Germination Code: C(60)
Penstemon hirsutus - Hairy Beardtongue
Hairy Beardtongue is a versatile plant and a must for a home pollinator garden. This plant does well in all types of soils, and in full sun to shade.
Hairy Beardtongue is low growing, only 1 – 2 feet tall, with woolly stems that are sometimes reddish in color. In spring, airy clusters of delicate tubular flowers appear on the top half of the plant in various shades of pink and lavender. The leaves turn a beautiful red in the fall.
The blooms attract a range of pollinators as well as hummingbirds. Penstemon hirsutus is a larval host plants for several butterflies, including the Baltimore Checkerspot.