No, this post isn’t about the Native American chief named Fox glove Beard Tongue. We actually don’t know if there ever was a chief named Foxglove Beard Tongue. It sounds plausible, but confirming it would require more research, and we’re second semester seniors. Fun fact: It took us a whole class period to come up with that witty intro.
Instead, we’re here to talk about penstemon digitalis, otherwise known as the Foxglove Beard Tongue, a gentle flower naturally occurring in meadows and prairies. It’s a very low maintenance plant that grows well during the spring months and needs a plentiful amount of sun exposure. The Foxglove plant is also self-seeding so under the right conditions, it’ll germinate in the fall and sprout back every spring. Foxglove Beard Tongue has spikes of white tubular flowers that bloom through May to July on 2 to 4 feet stems. The flowers have purple stripes to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, who visit the flowers for nectar.
The bad news? All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested. Maybe that’s why Plants for a Future, a site that reports on medicinal uses of specific plants, has no entry for penstemon digitalis. However, the plant is pretty easy to work with and the white flowers are quite picturesque. It’s easy to grow in average, dry to medium –wet, well drained soil and is considered to be a low maintenance plant that is drought tolerant. There aren’t many serious insect or disease problems, but the foxglove beard tongue doesn’t do well in heavy clay or wet, poorly drained soil.
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