My Deer Garden

Plant record · Perennial

Is Tiger Beardtongue deer resistant?

Penstemon mensarum

Tiger Beardtongue
Damage step 2 of 4 · Seldom Severely Damaged

Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.

Type
Perennial
Hardiness
Zones 3–9
Light
Full sun
Height
36–36 in
Bloom
Summer
Maintenance
Moderate
Native range
1 US state

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Tiger Beardtongue

Nothing else in the genus is quite this blue: close-set spikes of cobalt over leaves that stay green through winter. It grows wild on the Grand Mesa in western Colorado and nowhere else.

It wants worked ground, not settled ground. This is a plant of sagebrush openings and gaps in aspen woodland, loose and disturbed rather than baked hard, and it will take more water than most penstemons provided the soil is not airless. Where a bed has been walked over or has run to clay, opening the surface with a spading fork or a push aerator does more for it than watering does.

Deadhead through the first two seasons instead of letting it set seed and it builds into a properly strong clump. Hand-trim the dead stems back in spring.

Similar to Tiger Beardtongue

Other perennials with the same deer rating.

Where Tiger Beardtongue grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone, and native to 1 of them. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Native and hardyHardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Tiger Beardtongue

Is Tiger Beardtongue deer resistant?
Tiger Beardtongue (Penstemon mensarum) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
What hardiness zones does Tiger Beardtongue grow in?
Tiger 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 Tiger Beardtongue grow in shade?
No. Tiger Beardtongue wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
How big does Tiger Beardtongue get?
Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.

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Every list Tiger Beardtongue belongs to.

All perennials·Seldom damaged·Full sun plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .