Flower of Carolina is a native plant nursery and Meadery located in Saxapahaw, NC

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Penstemon canescens

Flower of Carolina

Price:
$7.53 Regular Price

  • Product Info

    Appalachian Beardtongue (Penstemon canescens)
    Plantain Family

    Appalachian Beardtongue is a clumping perennial native to the Appalachian Mountains and parts of the Piedmont. From May into July, upright gray, hairy stems carry loose racemes of relatively large rose-purple to violet tubular flowers, often with darker markings inside the throat. The flowers are especially attractive to hummingbirds and bees. Among our native penstemons, P. canescens is distinctive for its gray-hairy stems and leaves and its larger, deeper-colored flowers. The flower stalks are also relatively open, with the flowers rising above rather than being mixed with large leaf-like bracts. It naturally grows in dry, rocky woodlands, forest edges, and other well-drained habitats. In cultivation, it is a good choice for sunny pollinator gardens, rock gardens, and naturalized plantings.

    Blooms: Purple, 4-8 weeks, May-July 
    Leaves: Gray-green, hairy, toothed foliage
    Height: 1-3’ 
    Space: 1-1.5’
    Soil: Adaptable, tolerates dry soils
    Exposure: Full sun-Part sun
    Fauna: Bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies
    Seeds: Small seeds in capsules
    Deer Resistance: Moderate
    Zone: 5-8
    Native Status: NC native, common in the Mountains and Piedmont, rare in the Coastal Plain
    Provenance: WV, seed grown