West Virginia ecotype
- Duration: Perennial
- Habit: Upright, clump-forming
- Size: 2 to 3 feet tall; 1 to 2 feet wide
- Flowering Time: May to July
- Bloom Color: Lavender to purple, sometimes pinkish
- Habitat: Open woodlands, meadows, prairies, and roadsides
- Moisture: Average to moist; well-drained but tolerant of seasonal wetness
- Light: Full sun to part shade; blooms best in higher sun but needs more moisture
- Soils: Sandy, loamy, or clay soils
- Uses: Pollinator gardens, cottage gardens, low meadow plantings, woodland and part sun or shade gardens
Penstemon laevigatus (Eastern smooth beardtongue)
Penstemon laevigatus is commonly called the Eastern Smooth Beardtongue, a showy native with upright clusters of tubular light lavender to creamy pink flowers. The plants bloom for a long period, starting in late spring and going into summer, a time when few other species may be in flower. The structure of the flower gives this genus its odd common name of "beardtongue;" an open mouth with a fuzzy tongue protruding.
Eastern smooth beardtongue has glossy, lance-shaped leaves which give it its common name. It thrives in a wide variety of light levels, soil types, and moisture levels, making it highly adaptable to many garden settings. Its tall flower stalks and upright habit lend vertical structure and color to lower statured naturalized plantings and the front of pollinator garden beds. It is adaptable to container gardens so long as the soil doesn't completely dry out.
Beardtongues are an important nectar source for bumblebees, long-tongued bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, all of which are well-suited to its tubular flowers. Its ecological value lies in supporting a diverse array of pollinators during a crucial late-spring / early-summer window. Its resilience, adaptability, attractiveness, and pollinator benefits make it an excellent addition to native plantings.