Complete Guide to Foxglove Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis

[@samanthariley6822]

Thumbs up just for mentioning how adorable bee butts are. I can't get enough of watching chunky little bees forage for pollen, it's their tiny back legs and fuzzy butts hanging out of the flower that kill me.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Samantha! It is fun watching a fat little bumblebee try to force their way into the flower tube!

[@Eeponae]

On year 2 with my foxglove and was looking for more info about seed collecting etc. This video was really informative and answered questions I didn't realize I had. Thank you! It can be hard to find good guides like this.

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome - I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful

[@tatianamaria1]

Really appreciate the gardening posts! More please. The details are what make your posts different from other gardening content. Thanks! 🌻🌷🌿

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Tatiana - I will do my best to keep up the quality!

[@VK-km2pb]

Excellent tutorial! So thorough and encouraging. Thank you. 😊 Next up: monarda/ wild bergamot.

[@jeremyswider6232]

Your native plant videos are super helpful to novices like me! Thank you for posting them.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - I'm glad you are finding them helpful

[@nancywilcox4762]

I absolutely love Penstemon digitalis! I planted some in my garden late last summer and they're all blooming beautifully this summer. We're lucky to have hummingbirds visiting them regularly, as well as lots of bees. I've never collected seeds before so will try your suggested methods in the fall. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I'm glad I stumbled upon your videos!

[@growitbuildit]

I'm glad you found it helpful Nancy. Good luck getting these started!

[@9catlover]

i just bought some penstemon seeds. never tried growing them. so am super excited

[@growitbuildit]

You are going to love this flower. I think I'm up to 5 different species of penstemon now.

[@9catlover]

@@growitbuildit I've been looking for a perennial flower seed that is both beautiful and hardy. I found linaria last year and loved them but they are annuals. will let you know how I get on when I get my seeds. can't wait to see if I have success with them

[@eshepard8565]

Thank you! I moved into my house (in Guelph, Ontario, zone 5b) last summer and this is my first planting season--and my first real garden, so there's a lot to learn! I bought some native plant seedlings, including Foxglove beardtongue and 3 varieties of milkweed, but don't know much about them yet. Your videos are helpful!

[@growitbuildit]

Good, I'm glad I can help you out! Good luck getting your garden started.

[@MuckmouseFollies]

Thanks for all the good information and your sense of humor.

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@topster79]

You should make a video on how you made your micro Prairie/ wildflower bed. I would love to see your process. Thanks

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Topster - I made that years before we had a KZbin channel and website! Perhaps Someday I'll make another and film it all. I did write it up here though - growitbuildit.com/how-to-make-a-micro-prairie/

[@andyhudgins9443]

Aphids: it may be quite possible that my local wasp species feed on these. Wasps are big pollinators. I've often watched a couple flavor of wasps "patrolling" stems and leaves of my pollinator plants. I leave the aphids on my Aesclepias spp. intentionally for this reason. I have for years now and they are still great, dependable blooming performers. I enjoy your videos. Yes, I hit the thumbs up. Cheers!

[@growitbuildit]

Thanks Andy - I'm glad you enjoyed it. I really only seem to get aphids bad on Milkweed and False Sunflower. I've got tons of wasps around (they seem to really like Mountain Mint) but there are always tons of aphids.

[@robinhazeslip1800]

This was soooo informative! ❤ thnk u for sharing!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Robin!

[@Mouse73]

I just discovered this beautiful plant in Ontario Canada. Never seen it before, so I plan on collecting seeds. This was a great video with a lot of information.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - I'm glad you found it helpful

[@Mouse73]

@@growitbuildit your website is also wonderful. Keep up the good work.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Mouse!

[@MariaCastillo-yt4eo]

Than you for all the information l love ❤️ plants

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Maria!

[@jeroens8723]

It's so interesting that your bee and plant species look so different from the species here in my garden in The Netherlands.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Jeroen - If you think this is interesting, wait until I make a video on Mountain Mint. It attracts crazy amounts of pollinators, and you don't really see them on any other flowers......

[@tarawatterson4188]

Adding this to the list to be grown next year!

[@growitbuildit]

Very good Tara! I have four different species of Penstemon blooming this year, and will have 5 next year. So, don't be shy - try some others! Pale Beardtongue is pretty interesting - the first to bloom, and very tiny at only 1' tall.

[@VikingVet]

Got four of these from a friend that started a native plant nursery last year. This year they've done great, at least three feet tall, and in a mostly shaded spot. I'm hoping to gather lots of seeds and grow some more, in the sunnier back garden.

[@growitbuildit]

Sounds good Chad - they are really cool flowers. You should try some other species of Penstemon too. I haven't found one that I didn't like.

[@sarahdiaz4904]

Can’t wait for my plugs of this to grow 😍

[@growitbuildit]

It is an awesome plant Sarah - good luck!

[@kylemarkwardt529]

“I got new seeds. Let me see if GIBI has a video on them. Yes. Yes he does.”

[@growitbuildit]

Haha - Glad I could help you out!

[@looktothefuture8572]

Nice video, thank you!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome!

[@marielemonnier1036]

Thank you, Joe! Im always excited when i see a new video from you, and thanks to your channel, i've introduced many new indigenous species in my flower garden in Quebec, Canada ; like wild bergamot, rudbekia hirta, and wild sunflowers. Now i definitely have to try this foxglove beardtongue! Does it make a good cutflower?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Marie, thank you for the kind words. Sounds like you are doing great adding natives. I bet you're seeing a lot more wildlife. Regarding Foxglove beardtongue as a cut flower, I have not tried, but I bet it would do well. Since the blooms last for a month, I suspect you could get a good bit of time out of them.

[@tracyguillemette6255]

did you get your seed from Everwilde? the link is missing in the notes

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you for the reminder. The link has been added.

[@conniegriner1847]

Another wonderful video, Joe! I have a few penstemon from winter sowing, and I’m anxious to see how they do over the next couple of years.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Connie! I'm up to four blooming species now, and I really haven't found a Penstemon I didn't like. You will probably feel the same, as this species really does a good job of bridging the blooming period between earlier Spring and Summer flowers.

[@youngbuck5009]

Another fantastic video. Thank you.

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Solo! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@musikgyrl]

I have a beard tongue foxglove in a pot on my deck. It’s finished blooming. How do I deadhead it? I wish there was a direct video explaining that.

[@growitbuildit]

I'm my economic, Penstemons don't really rebloom much after deadheading. But to do so, you simply follow the stem down from the spent blooms to the next junction of leaves. Then cut the stem just above this juncture.

[@gennyguindon1977]

Love this videos! Thanks for sharing!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Genny

[@katiecannon8186]

I planted one smooth beards tongue (I think that’s what it’s called). It’s now one of my favorites in my garden & plan on adding more.

[@growitbuildit]

I've got four different Penstemon species right now. I wish I could get back down to VA at some places I've hiked, as I've seen some species that you can't buy seed from. I would like to collect them.

[@juliesims3950]

I just bought three of these plants at a park district native plant sale. ;)

[@growitbuildit]

Well this was good timing then!

[@bobsilverman9720]

Great video, Thanks!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Bob - glad you enjoyed it!

[@suerichardson1289]

Thanks for this new video. Will definitely add this to a must have for my growing wildflower bed. Wondering if you could do a video on prairie smoke and how to collect seed?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Sue - it will be a while before I make a video on Prairie Smoke. I just had my first plants bloom this year. I will hopefully be able to plant another dozen or so. I did grab some of the plume bodies once they turned white, and inside the capsule, there do appear to be some small hard seeds. Although I'm currently not 100% sure. Let me take a closer look and get back to you. If you email me, I can send you a pic of what I have obtained. You can find my email address on the 'about' tab of my channel.

[@8cupsCoffee]

Awesome video great plant! Thank you so much!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome - I love my Penstemons

[@naturalroots]

Hi new subscriber here week ago I was given a free fox glove at a area garden center it had already bloomed so I dead headed. the base of the plant looks like yours. Hope minds comes back next season.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - it will come back. No worries at all.

[@barbmurray8557]

The cashier at the home depot said the foxglove she tried to grow from live plant always die. I hesitated buying the plant but I just started gardening when I retired from nursing so I'm going to give it a go

[@growitbuildit]

Good luck Barb - I've always had good success with Penstemons

[@lindagraves9404]

Did your foxglove live?

[@LaconicMind]

How does hairy beard tongue compare to this species besides doing well in shade? Love the b roll footage btw.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Laconic - in partial sun it won't be as large and showy. But it can survive. The short clips I added of the two that I transplanted into the woods are not nearly as showy as the ones still inbetween the pine trees. So, a bit smaller and not as full. For comparing with Hairy Beardtongue, Foxglove Beardtongue will start to bloom a short time later (like a week later). But it will also be about twice as tall as Hairy Beardtongue. Other than that, they seem to like the same conditions.

[@lesliew87]

So my smooth beards tongue is young but wind blows it over so easily I’m having to stake it…. Hoping it grows out of that. Also think I’m gonna try to harvest some seeds!

[@growitbuildit]

Sounds good Leslie on seeds. The process should be identical. Regarding it blowing over, is it fertile, black crumbly / rich soil?

[@lesliew87]

@@growitbuildit just saw your response! It is clay soil that’s been amended some with gardening soil

[@growitbuildit]

Ok, so if it isn't fertile or hasn't been fertilized then the other most likely factors, in my experience would be sun exposure. If the plant has exposure to the sun/wind from all sides, it is most likely going to stand tall. If it is shaded from one or more directions, it may lean or "reach" for the sun.

[@mahyarjalilzadeh2873]

You know what you should do , do the top 10 perennial plans based on zines or based on growing characteristics or based what kind of insects you trying to attract the most. For example I have honey bees, single hive in my backyard and I live in kansas city and I want to turn my backyard into a perennial garden since I'm tired of mowing grass and the plants I'm looking for the ones attract honey bees 🐝

[@growitbuildit]

That is a really good idea Mahyar. I may have to do that. If nothing else I could write up a brief article outlining the plants w/ bloom times.

[@marylynnhonsberger8311]

What process do you recommend for harvesting Foxglove for medicinal purposes?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - I just have to be completely up front - I have never personally used any part of foxglove beardtongue for medicinal or edible purposes. I can't really offer any advice to you.

[@kevinmowery5722]

Great video as always. Do you have any experience/comments with the other native penstemon species, such as penstemon grandiflorus (large-flowered beardtongue), penstemon hirsutus (hairy beardtongue), penstemon cobaea (purple beadtongue)? My experience is a heavily deer-infested area supports yours that the penstemons are nearly deer-proof

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Kevin - in addition to Penstemon digtalis, I've got P. pallida, hirsutus, and P. calycosus. I've made a video on hirsutus, and can tell you that in the years since then my 'patches' have grown substantially. It makes a superbloom now each Spring. But, they are tough as nails, tenancious, and I'm starting to use them to crowd out invasives as they are somewhat shade tolerant. In my observations, P. Pallida blooms earliest, and is only 12" tall, but stays upright all by itself, isolated even with sun from only two directions. Here is the video on P hirsutus - I made this a couple of years ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXLQgJKlasuXo9E

[@burninoutloud]

Can you dead head this plant for further blooming? Mine looked amazing for about a month.

[@growitbuildit]

I've tried but never had much luck.

[@emkn1479]

Spelunking bees? I love it!

[@growitbuildit]

Hahaha - that was the best term I could come up with!

[@ThreeRunHomer]

I recently bought a house and one flowerbed has a plant that looks similar to this or foxglove. The blooms are purple. The problem is that iNaturalist says it’s creeping bellflower, a very aggressive invasive plant. You might want to warn folks about this noxious lookalike. I’m digging mine out tomorrow. (If you have any suggestions about getting rid of creeping bellflower, I’d appreciate it).

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - a good way to verify it isn't Penstemon is to check the leaves. Creeping Bellflower has alternate leaves...so one on one side of the stalk, then another on the opposite side a short distance above. As far as ripping out bellflower, I've not done it myself. But I see that it has rhizomes. If the rhizomes are large, like Canadian Goldenrod, you can probably just use a garden fork to loosen the soil and pull it all. But if the rhizomes are small, you may have to dig out what you can, then cardboard the immediate area and mulch on top. When you want to plant another plant in that space, just cut an 'X' and dig your hole, plant your plant and lay the cardboard back down around the stem. But keep an eye for any new bellflower sprouts.

[@ThreeRunHomer]

@@growitbuildit it does have alternate leaves and all the other characteristics I looked up. It’s creeping bellflower. I dug it up this morning. I carefully tried to get all the tubers, rhizomes and roots but I doubt I got it all. I won’t plant anything there until at least next spring, and I’ll dig up anything that looks remotely suspicious.

[@jlpriddy6059]

Should the spent flowers be removed to promote longer blooming?

[@growitbuildit]

I've never really deadheaded Penstemon. So I can't give you any personal experience with this genus. But with other species that produce flowers from a single stalk, I've often been very disappointed. What I've done is add more Penstemon species to my garden to prolong the blooming period. I've got four different ones blooming (Pale Penstemon is first) and thus far this one (Penstemon digitalis) is last.

[@luisamartinez4739]

I’ve noticed it tipping over in partial shade. Is this common? I see you’ve said you’ve never seen it too but I’ve noticed this in 3-4 different gardens already. We’re in zone 5.

[@growitbuildit]

You know - I haven't seen it with this specific species. But I have heard from you and a couple other people who said it happened to them. I just hadn't seen it myself.

[@1jtrippy]

I planted mine from a small plant That I bought from Garden for Wildlife. They grew fast this spring Up to 4 feet and then fell over. Any suggestions?.

[@growitbuildit]

I would just trim them back if they fell over, assuming you don't want to save any seed. Most of mine are still tall, but my backyard soil is totally infertile.

[@kristineholm7596]

👍

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@Sonographer19]

What is the best time to transplant ?

[@growitbuildit]

For mature plants, early Spring is best. It can be done in fall too. Cooler temperatures mean less heat demands on the plant.

[@deboradelaney3614]

Hi, there is a native purple Penstemon growing at an elevation that is 500 feet higher than where I live in zone 9b. The plant is growing very well at its present location and I have collected seeds from the plant. This plant is growing along a roadside in very pore soil and it has been snowed on several times over the years. My question is can I grow the seeds in my location where I usually don't get snow if I cold stratify the seeds? Where I live I might get snow once every 10 years. Or do I go back and dig up the plant that is growing along the road? It is not by anyone's home, the road is just a service road that connects to other roads.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Debora , you can grow the seeds. Just cold stratify them in the fridge. The germination protocol will be the same. Good luck!

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

Not sure where you're located but I live near sea level and having tried to grow a couple of Penstemons native to higher elevation areas, it seems like drainage is important. I bet it's probably important for a lot of Penstemon? But probably more so for ones that come from higher elevations.

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Are thse plants poisonous like European foxglove? If so, I wouldn't want to plant it in front where small children walk, but I could still put it in the back garden.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Kathryn - I did research this very topic. I could not find any cases or reports of dogs and cats getting sick. But, that doesn't mean that it wouldn't harm to them or humans, but I can't find any reports of this. You can see what I wrote and the sources here - growitbuildit.com/foxglove-beardtongue-guide-penstemon-digitalis/#foxglove-beardtongue-toxicity

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

@@growitbuildit Thanks for checking.

[@judithshure3928]

I was given a very small beard tongue plant last year. It did not flower last year. I am having trouble identifying the plant this spring. What should I look for?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Judith - Look for the basal leaves on the ground. I planted some other small penstemons late last fall, and while they all came back only one of them bloomed. The others are just basal leaves on the ground, working on their root stock.

[@evasternak6228]

"no shortage of bee butts" lol

[@growitbuildit]

True story!

[@eileenanders]

hello, thanks for the video. This is my first time growing this plant. I winter sowed them and planted them last year. They just started blooming this year but they are on a slope and leaning over. Any advice?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Eileen, I've seen ones tip over after damage from bikers or deer. But did they grow that way, or just start tipping over once they bloomed? Also, are they getting sun from all directions and out in the open, and is there anything else nearby?

[@eileenanders]

@@growitbuildit It is in full sun in AM and has other plants surrounding it but not crowded. The main stem is upright but the smaller ones seems to have grown toward the ground bc when I try to support it , it is curved. thanks Joe

[@growitbuildit]

I have had surrounding ones lean towards the end of blooming. But if you saw the plant (as in the vid) you would never say it was tipping over - it was just crowding itself and reaching for sun. I don't know why your outer stems grew strange, but the am sun only could *possibly* be a contributor. However, you may be pleasantly surprised next year when it should be much more full. I would wait and see. I've got a whole lot of these plants (and other Penstemon) growing, and I have never had one flop (like a New England Aster could).

[@vickiesorenson2385]

Are these longer lived ?

[@growitbuildit]

I've had mine for multiple years, and I can't say for certain, but I am pretty sure they are. I've never heard of Penstemon being short lived, for what it is worth.

[@Elliesauntie96]

Is beardtounge safe for dogs?

[@growitbuildit]

I had researched that in the past. I was never able to find any info regarding penstemon or dogs. At least none of the references say it is toxic to dogs or cats.

[@diannebrandon630]

How do you deadhead penstemon?

[@growitbuildit]

Hi Dianne - I have never tried deadheading Penstemon. But you would probably just clip the stalks at the first junction of leaf below the flowers.

[@diannebrandon630]

@@growitbuildit I figured that made the most sense., thanks.

[@tatianamaria1]

Really appreciate the gardening posts! More please. The details are what make your posts different from other gardening content. Thanks! 🌻🌷🌿