Foxglove Beardtongue - PollinateHV Local Ecotype

This hardy native perennial, Penstemon digitalis, is a bustling hub for the garden's most specialized pollinators. For a glorious month in midsummer, its tall stalks—reaching up to three feet—are adorned with white, tubular blooms that beckon hummingbirds and long-tongued bees, such as Mason and Miner bees. It gets its whimsical common name from a hidden secret: peek inside the flower, and you’ll see a sterile stamen sporting a distinct tuft of small hairs, looking just like a bearded tongue.

Beyond its ecological benefits, this plant is a dream for the low-maintenance gardener. Native to the eastern half of North America, it adapts easily to full sun or the dappled shade of a woodland edge. It is remarkably drought-tolerant once established, unfussy about soil, and resistant to deer, making it a resilient choice for wildflower meadows or borders alongside Golden Alexanders and Spiderwort. It also serves as a lovely cut flower, bringing a touch of the wild meadow indoors.

This local ecotype seed is of Hudson Valley wild origin and has been scaled for production on our farm in Accord, NY.

Cold Stratification Required - See Growing Instructions for details.

PollinateHV is a collaboration between the Hudson Valley Seed Company and The Understory in support of threatened native pollinators.

 We worked with a team of expert botanists, seed collectors, nursery growers and farmers to produce local ecotype native seeds to support at-risk Hudson Valley pollinators. You can find more information about this project at pollinatehv.org/seed-work. Learn more about the Hudson Valley's threatened pollinators and find resources to install pollinator habitat at all scales at pollinatehv.org.