perennial
Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red'
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red' is a semi-evergreen perennial hardy in zones 3–8. It grows 2–3 ft tall and 1–2 ft wide, so plant it 1.5 ft apart. Give it full sun to part sun and average water. It flowers white in May to June. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest and the Southeast. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'
- Plant type
- Perennial, semi evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 8
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Well-drained soil; tolerates clay.
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft tall × 1–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- May–Jun · white
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, cottage, modern
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Penstemon is not on the ASPCA toxic list.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southeast
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$20 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Cut flower stalks after bloom or leave for seed; keep the basal rosette.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 7 (as a substitute)
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 7 (as a substitute)
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 4
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger'Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'shrub · zones 2–7
- Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls'Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'small tree · zones 5–9
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah'Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'ornamental grass · zones 4–9
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire'Cornus sericea 'Farrow'shrub · zones 3–7
- Ninebark 'Summer Wine'Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward'shrub · zones 3–7
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red': same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
- Blazing starLiatris spicatazones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- New England aster 'Purple Dome'Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'zones 4–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Meadow sage 'May Night'Salvia nemorosa 'May Night'zones 4–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother'Iris sibirica 'Caesar's Brother'zones 3–8 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants