Foxglove Beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

native · Central Texas

Foxglove Beardtongue is a wildflower native to Central Texas that grows 2–5 ft tall and 1 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water, and handles clay soil. Blooms white in late spring. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Good for hummingbirds.

Wet ground only. Usually found in wetlands and creek bottoms. It wants reliably moist ground and struggles in a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

4 sources

Type: Wildflower
Sun: Full sun to part shade (4–8 hrs of direct sun)
Water: Low
Height: 2–5 ft
Spread: 1 ft
Bloom: Late Spring · white
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, dry, loam, moist, rich, well drained
Wildlife: Supports hummingbirds

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Northern Blackland PrairieFloodplains and Low Terraces

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.