Foxglove Beardtongue - PollinateHV Local Ecotype Seedling

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.

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.