The Beautiful But Oddly Named Perennial That'll Bring More Hummingbirds To Your Yard

There are many advantages to planting a beautiful flower garden in your yard. Not only does it add color, but it also attracts pollinators, like butterflies and bees. One other critter that may be attracted to just the right flowers is the hummingbird. If you're looking for a flowering plant that is sure to attract these little birds, beardtongue (Penstemon spp.) is one great way to attract more hummingbirds to your yard.

Though its name may sound strange, beardtongue earns it with a long stem covered in clusters of tubular blooms that resemble a tongue — flowers that hummingbirds can't resist. Tube-shaped flowers are their favorite because their long, grooved tongues can easily reach the sweet nectar inside. If you're looking for a hummingbird attracter that will come back for several years to come, this perennial is an excellent choice. Not only that, but you also have a few colors to choose from, including some of hummingbirds' favorite colors like red, pink, and purple.

As with any plant, it's essential to know how to cultivate and care for beardtongue when adding it to your yard. We have some tips that will help you get started.

Beardtongue plants originate from the Southwestern states and into Mexico. They do best in zones 5a to 8b. To get started with beardtongue from seed, plant them from March to mid-May. They thrive alongside other pollinator-friendly plants and can grow over three feet tall, ensuring your hummingbirds will spot them easily, even in a sea of flowers. You can propagate them with ease by taking cuttings in the summer and collecting seeds in the late summer. Take care to freeze the collected seeds to kill off any bugs that have attached to them. 

These flowers require full sun, needing at least six hours of sunshine a day, but they can tolerate a little shade. They prefer well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil. If you're in the market for a hardy plant, beardtongue is tolerant of drought and cold weather. A reasonably low-maintenance plant, you can skip fertilizer on your beardtongue flowers — they don't need it, and too much can be bad for them. Also, take care not overwater them, or they'll get root and crown rot if there isn't enough soil aeration. To keep your penstemon flowers looking bright and pristine, it's also good to know how to correctly deadhead the flowers when needed.