Penstemon hirsutus

Penstemon hirsutus: Fuzzy Lavender Trumpets Love Thin, Dry Soil

Yes, it's called Hairy Beardtongue. No, we will not be taking questions. This native wildflower has fuzzy stems, lavender trumpets and ZERO INTEREST IN SHAVING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Penstemon hirsutus
• Common Name: Hairy Beardtongue
• Height: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Spread: 25 cm (10 in)
• Flowers: Lavender to violet trumpets with whitish lips, in open clusters
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Small green leaves in a low clump, with downy stems
• Features: Suited to dry, thin soils

Where to Plant: Put it at the front of a border, in a rock garden, on a dry slope or in a native plant bed. Its small size makes it easy to tuck into gaps, and it's suited to dry, thin soil.

Companion Plants: Plant hairy beardtongue in a sunny or lightly shaded native bed with lean, well-drained soil. Campanula rotundifolia adds pale blue harebells at 15 to 45 cm from June to September. Oenothera fruticosa brings bright yellow sundrops at 30 to 60 cm from June to August. Monarda fistulosa adds lavender wild bergamot at 60 to 120 cm from June to August. Elymus canadensis stands behind at 90 to 150 cm with nodding, bristly seed heads.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. Lean, sandy or rocky soil is ideal. Avoid spots that stay wet, especially over winter. Water through the first season until it's settled, then only in long droughts. Cut spent stems back after bloom, or leave some to set seed. It's a short-lived perennial that often self-sows lightly, which keeps it going in the garden. Clean up old stems in spring.

History: Hairy beardtongue is native from Maine to Wisconsin and south to Virginia and Kentucky, grows wild in Ontario and Quebec, and favours dry woods, rocky fields and bluffs. Both hirsutus (hairy) and "beardtongue" point to its fuzz: the downy stems, and the tufted sterile stamen in the throat of each flower.

Final Thoughts: Thin soil, dry soil, that patch where nothing grows? It moves right in. The native bees approve. GROOMING IS OPTIONAL.