Description
Penstemon barbatus | Beardlip Beardtongue ‘Coccineus’
Penstemon is a wonderful genus of wildly varied flowering perennials. It’s a genus of such vast proportions that it would be hard to comprehend in one sitting, let alone a lifetime. With some 280 species, Penstemon is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to the Americas, ranging from warm Central America to the cold plains of Canada.
Beardlip Beardtongue, also known as Bearded Penstemon, Southwest Penstemon, Scarlet Bugler, Scarlet Penstemon, Red Penstemon, Red Beardtongue, Goldenbeard Penstemon, Goldenbeard Beardtongue, Saint Joseph’s Staff, Varita De San Jose, Beard-lip Penstemon, Pichelitos, and Jarritos, is a flowering perennial with tall, loose spikes of bright red tubular flowers above thin green leaves, from June-October, reaching up to 5 ft tall.
The common name of Beardtongue refers to the often-hairy staminode that protrudes slightly from the corolla and looks just like a hairy tongue. This arrangement guides hummingbirds and pollinators into the flower’s inner pistils while it brushes against the bloom’s bristly inner edges giving Penstemon the common name of Beard Tongue.
Grows well on rocky hillsides, open forests and woodlands slopes, preferring to be out in the open in full sun, but this species will grow in partial shade, too. Needs dry, gritty, gravelly or sandy well-drained soils. Easy to grow and drought tolerant. Supplemental water during the first year of growth helps plants to become established, but they generally don’t need to be watered thereafter. Even during droughts, they should not be watered more than once weekly.
Like other xerophytic plants, they often die off after 1-3 years after blooming abundantly, however dead-heading plants after flowering may increase longevity. A few stems can be left to self-seed. Allowing seeds to drop in the garden to be vernalized over winter will potentially result in new spring Penstemon starts.
Butterfly and hummingbird magnet. Makes superb cut flowers.
For germination, it’s best that the seeds receive a cold-moist stratification period of 8-12 weeks outdoor in the winter if you live where temperatures drop below freezing, or in the refrigerator for a similar period of time, mixing the seed with moist vermiculite and place the mix in a plastic baggie.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun
Mature height: 3-5 ft
Mature width: 18-20 inches
Hardiness zones: 3-9
