Is Large Beardtongue deer resistant?
Penstemon grandiflorus
Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Not listed by Rutgers NJAES. Rated deer-resistant by El Paso County CSU Extension, whose list is a single category, mapped conservatively to Seldom Severely Damaged.
About Large Beardtongue
Fat tubular flowers, white through lavender to rose-pink, run up a single stem above leaves so waxy and thick they look almost succulent. It is a dry prairie plant of the Great Plains rather than the mountains. Deer tend to pass it by. Kindness ruins it. Excessive watering encourages weak growth that will not support itself and shortens the plant's life, so the specimen given border treatment splays at the first storm and dies young, while the one left dry in sand stands straight. Rich ground does the same damage as the hose: natives put into nutrient-rich, high-organic soil become overgrown or short-lived. Deadhead through the first two seasons rather than letting it set seed - it builds a stronger crown that way - then let it reseed, because the seedlings are what carry it on. Sold in Colorado as shell leaf penstemon. PRAIRIE JEWEL is this species selected for the full colour range.
Similar to Large Beardtongue
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Where Large Beardtongue grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesotanative
- Missourinative
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texasnative
- Coloradonative
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahomanative
- Kansasnative
- Nebraskanative
- Iowanative
- North Dakotanative
- South Dakotanative
- Montananative
- Wyomingnative
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexiconative
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 20 US states in total.
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Every list Large Beardtongue belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Large Beardtongue
- Is Large Beardtongue deer resistant?
- Large Beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Large Beardtongue grow in?
- Large Beardtongue is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Large Beardtongue grow in shade?
- No. Large Beardtongue wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Large Beardtongue get?
- Mature height is roughly 48–48 in. Growth rate is moderate.