Penstemon: Hardy and beautiful natives for your garden

Jon Hammond.

Penstemons make a great choice for rock gardens and sloping ground.

One of the great things about gardening with native plants is that you know that they are adapted to our often demanding growing conditions. This is true of the large Penstemon genus, which is a group of typically hardy perennials in the traditionally placed in the snapdragon family.

There 15 species of Penstemon that are native to Kern County, and many, many more that are not native but that will thrive here – North America is home to more than 250 species of Penstemon, and there has been extensive breeding and hybridization to create hundreds of different varieties to complement the existing natural species.

Penstemon plants usually produce their attractive blossoms on flowering stalks. The partly tubular, two-lipped flowers are reminiscent of snapdragons, and an old common name for some species of Penstemon is "Kiss-Me-Kates." They frequently have a protruding nonfertile stamen, called a staminode, which has led to the name "beardtongue" for this group of plants.

One of our native species is Penstemon centranthifolius, known commonly as Scarlet Bugler. These stunning wildflowers have long narrow tubular flowers that are bright red and have nectar that attracts hummingbirds, which are particularly fond of them because they are red – insects can't see red so the flowers don't stand out to them, increasing the chances of nectar still being there when the hummingbirds arrive.

Many Penstemon species are drought-tolerant and long-lived, and are excellent in rock gardens, borders, container plantings and just for beautifying part of your yard with a reliable bloomer. Check out our independent nurseries, Mountain Garden Nursery and JDB Sales Nursery, since either of them may have great Penstemons. These wonderful wildflowers have so many admirers that there is an American Penstemon Society, founded in 1946, and The Arboretum at Flagstaff, Arizona hosts a Penstemon Festival each summer.

Penstemon Species

Genus: Penstemon sp

Perennial

Starting: Transplanted from a container.

Size: Eight inches to four feet, depending on variety.

Exposure: Full sun, partial sun.

Watering: Deep watering once a week in summer.