Michigan Penstemon

Penstemon, commonly called beardtongue, is a graceful spike-maker for the early-summer bouquet. Its upright stems are lined with slender, tubular bell-shaped flowers, foxglove-like in feel, in cool purples and violets, soft pinks, coral, and white, often with pale streaked throats. The overall effect is airy and elegant, a vertical line with a wildflower charm that draws the eye up through an arrangement.

The genus Penstemon is largely North American, and our growers raise the taller garden and native selections, including the reliable foxglove beardtongue, rather than gathering them wild. They are well suited to Michigan: hardy, sun-loving perennials, they return each year and come into bloom in the transition from spring to early summer.

For our farmers penstemon is a lovely, slightly wild vertical stem. It brings foxglove-like grace on a sturdier, more manageable plant, and it mixes beautifully into cottage and naturalistic bouquets.