“Husker Red” look lovely planted in cottage gardens, pollinator gardens, perennial borders and natural gardens. (Photo by Ginny Rosenkranz)
Penstemon digitalis or “Husker Red” is a native perennial that loves to live in full sun with medium moist but well drained soils.
In the early spring, the shiny dark red leaves emerge from the soil and they continue to grow in a mounding clump until reaching 1-2 feet tall.
The leaves will keep the red color better in full sun in the spring, but the leaves will gradually turn dark green in the heat of summer.
In June, the “Husker Red” starts to send up many thin rigid dark red stems out of the center of the plant, which will grows 2-3 feet tall.
The stems hold clusters of white blushed with pink tubular flowers that can be 1 to 1 1/4 inches long.
Some of the flowers are noted to have thin violet nectar guides on the inside of each flower, helping guide the pollinators inside each flower.
The tubular flowers flair out with two points on the top of the bloom to provide cover and three points on the bottom, which creates a landing pad for butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators.
These dainty clusters of flowers will continue to bloom all month long, inviting the many colorful pollinators to add beauty and motion into the gardens.
After the flowers have finished blooming, they can create deep purple seed capsules that are slightly egg shaped and provide fall and winter color and texture.
The seedlings leaves will be more green and have smaller flowers, but will still attract many beautiful pollinators.
Penstemon digitalis “Husker Red” look lovely planted in cottage gardens, pollinator gardens, perennial borders and natural gardens.
The flowers on their long slender stems can be cut and brought indoors in flower arrangements.
These beautiful plants are drought tolerant and resistant to deer and rabbits and thrive in Maryland gardens.
(Editor’s Note: Ginny Rosenkranz is a commercial horticulture specialist with the University of Maryland Extension.)
