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Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Foxglove Beardtongue)

Beardtongue 'Husker Red', Beard Tongue 'Husker Red', Penstemon 'Husker Red'

Award General
Penstemon Digitalis 'Husker Red', Beardtongue 'Husker Red', Beard Tongue 'Husker Red', Penstemon 'Husker Red', White Penstemon, White Beardtongue, White Beard Tongue

Award-winner Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ is a bushy perennial with erect, deep wine-red stems boasting about 50 large, bell-shaped, white flowers with a touch of light pink, 1 in. long (2.5 cm). They rise above a particularly handsome, lush foliage of lance-shaped, rich, bronze-red leaves. ‘Husker Red’ is a versatile garden perennial as a specimen, or as a cut flower.

  • On display from late spring through early summer, this Penstemon grows vigorously to 30-36 in. tall (75-90 cm) and 15-18 in. wide (37-45 cm) and adds lovely vertical lines to the landscape. 
  • 1996 Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year
  • Provides a bold and striking impact in bedsborderscottage gardensrock gardens, or in prairie plantings. Ideal for naturalistic planting schemes. Good as cut flowers too!
  • Best grown in full sun in fertile, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils. Tolerates almost any soil including dry soil. Drought tolerant once established. Dislikes damp conditions and needs excellent drainage! Penstemons need very little water and barely any fertilizer. Fertilize lightly when planting and then never again. Over-fertilizing Penstemons leads to excessive dieback in the winter.
  • Attracts scores of hummingbirdsbutterflies, and other beneficial pollinators but is resistant to deer and rabbits.
  • Generally disease free. May be attacked by slugs, snails, glasshouse red spider mite, and leaf and bud eelworms
  • Propagate by seed, but the offspring will be variable, often with flowers of a murky shade. Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or semi-ripe stem tip cuttings in late summer to early autumn. Divide clumps in spring
  • Tidy any winter-damaged growth in early spring. Deadhead after flowering (unless the seed is needed)

Requirements

Hardiness 3 - 8
Heat Zones 1 - 9
Climate Zones 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Plantaginaceae
Genus Penstemon
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early)
Height 2' - 3'
(60cm - 90cm)
Spread 1' - 2'
(30cm - 60cm)
Spacing 18" (50cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Well-Drained
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Plant of Merit, Showy, Semi-Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Salt, Rabbit, Dry Soil
Attracts Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Patio And Containers
Garden Styles Coastal Garden, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow, Traditional Garden
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Alternative Plants to Consider

Penstemon 'Onyx and Pearls', Onyx and Pearls Beardtongue, Beardtongue 'Onyx and Pearls', White Penstemon, White Beardtongue, Black Penstemon, Black Beardtongue
Penstemon centranthifolius, Scarlet Bugler, Red Penstemon, Red Beardtongue, California Native Perennial, California Native Plant
Penstemon heterophyllus, Bunchleaf Penstemon, Bunchleaf Beardtongue, Foothill Penstemon, Foothill Beardtongue, California Native Plants
Penstemon 'Midnight Masquerade',  Beardtongue 'Midnight Masquerade', Purple Penstemon, Purple Beardtongue, Lavender Penstemon, Lavender Beardtongue
Penstemon serrulatus, Serrulate Penstemon, Serrulate Beardtongue, Cascade Penstemon, Cascade Beardtongue, Coast Penstemon, Coast Beardtongue, Purple Penstemon, Purple Beardtongue
Penstemon confertus, Yellow Penstemon, Yellow Beardtongue

Recommended Companion Plants

Cerastium Tomentosum, Snow in Summer, Dusty Miller, Jerusalem Star, Snow Plant, Wooly Mouse-Ear Chickweed, white flowers, ground covers, grouncover, perennial ground cover
Paeonia Lactiflora 'Sarah Bernhardt', Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Sarah Bernhardt' Peony, White flowers, White Peonies, Pink Flowers, Pink Peonies, Fragrant Peonies
Achillea Coronation Gold, Yarrow Coronation Gold, AGM Yarrow, summer flowering perennial, drought tolerant perennial, yellow flowering perennial
Geranium Rozanne, Hardy Geranium Rozanne, Crane's Bill Rozanne, Award geranium, AGM Geranium, Best geraniums, Best groundcovers, blue geranium, violet geranium
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
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Requirements

Hardiness 3 - 8
Heat Zones 1 - 9
Climate Zones 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Plantaginaceae
Genus Penstemon
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early)
Height 2' - 3'
(60cm - 90cm)
Spread 1' - 2'
(30cm - 60cm)
Spacing 18" (50cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Well-Drained
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Plant of Merit, Showy, Semi-Evergreen
Tolerance Drought, Deer, Salt, Rabbit, Dry Soil
Attracts Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders, Patio And Containers
Garden Styles Coastal Garden, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow, Traditional Garden
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Learn Now
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Penstemon
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Penstemon
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