Catherine de la Mare Foothill Penstemon

One of the best and easy to grow Penstemons.  The iridescent blue flowers contain a range of colors as they bloom- shades of purples and pinks and blues beckon you to look closer, where you may run into a hummingbird or a happy bee.  The colors on this penstemon just fascinate me, I could stare at it for hours; reminding me of underwater plants or multi-colored fish.  It’s more compact height of 18″ or so make it stand up well on its own; no staking required.  The spread can range from 18″-36″ and has a nice full habit when sheared once a year.  It is one of the few Penstemons to keep nice looking foliage through the winter, even this past extra cold winter- ours kept evergreen narrow leaves in a neat mound.   The flower show starts in May and continues to frost (better than an annual!).  Deadheading always helps but you don’t have to- although they make nice cut flowers.  This Penstemon is not choosy about soil, just give it a deep soak every so often but it can be quite drought tolerant and will be fine in part shade or full sun.  Looks great with silver toned foliage plants or darker maroons.   Come visit–We’d be happy to show you our specimens in our garden.  Penstemon strictus or Rocky Mountain Penstemon has a similar habit and color and is a tough alternative to some of the taller forms of Penstemons.  We always try to have both in stock.