I have one that likes dry rocky soil. It is p.buckleii, blooming now.Lavendar blue flowers and stems look like eucalyptus.Grows wild here in KS, WY.

I have not a one. Not even Husker. I guess I need to start reading.

Kevin

Kevin - you'd love these in your garden if you want to attract pollinators. They're super easy to grow from seed via winter sowing too.

This is my WS P. Husker Red (which is covered with blooms & bees at the moment)
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I have only Husker Red, which really stands out well against our house colors in the front, but I really enjoy this plant in the back where we have a very long perennial garden. Its red/maroon/green leaf coloration works well, even between blooming times, as a great contrast to all the greens in my garden. I have quite a few hemerocallis varieties and perennnial grasses, but their upright slender leaves become boring as the summer progresses and they fill out. As a solution, I like to place plants with other colored or textured leaves around them in the garden. Penstemons have been a mainstay, but I'll definitely look up some of the other varieties you suggested, Campanula.

Ah, yes, penstemons! They are beautiful and appealing for sure, but most are difficult or impossible to keep alive in our extreme Midwest climate. Even in spite of several of them being "native." I tried a few supposedly hardy and adaptable hybrids last year and it was a failure. Most notably 'Sweet Joanne' sulked and melted away in my free-draining, alkaline sand.

The only penstemon I have been successful with is 'Dark Towers' which is currently blooming and gorgeous. All of the Penstemon digitalis cultivars are wonderful for this area.

I suspect many of the more flamboyantly beautiful penstemons need either a high desert climate or a moderate, ideal-for-gardening climate like much of the Pacific Northwest or UK.

For now, I will have to enjoy these beauties in photos or in other peoples' gardens while traveling.

Either 'Elfin Pink' or 'Bashful,' mingling prettily with blue flax.

P. strictus is the purple one on the left edge of the bed. Check out the big scarlet one in the middle-right of the bed. Its tag said 'red.' Not very helpful because I would definitely like some more of those. Anyone know what it is?

This post was edited by karin_mt on Wed, Jun 19, 13 at 0:06

I have Husker red, foxglove, smallii, violet dusk and one I have no idea what it is. I would like to get some other color besides white and purple.

Great pictures! I love pentstemons, but most are not long lived here. P. smallii is one that does pretty well and is a favorite. My very favorite is P. hirsutus var. pygmaeus - cutest little plant ever! It's a rock garden plant, gets to be about 4-6" wide and maybe 4-5" tall when it's blooming.

Yes great pictures!

After our own echinaceamaniac raved about "Sweet Joanne" a couple of seasons ago I bought several and last year one did flower profusely for much of the summer but the other two slowly withered away. And this season this last SJ barely made it through the winter but I shovel pruned it as it was so weak. I did like what I saw re the flowering of "Penstemon" so I planted a newer variety "Delft Blue Riding Hood". Anyone else have this in their garden this season?

Aren't they so gorgeous? Thank you for the inspiring photos, Karin - exactly the look I crave (and attempt to emulate) in my dry allotment garden.

I forgot to mention the other really great thing about penstemons - their extreme ease of propagation - pop a bit of stem in soil, cover with a cloche, 3 weeks later, a neat little well-rooted plant.

Karin, I think it was you (and your garden) which completely made me reassess echinaceas (not the ridiculous fussy orange and reds - just good old basic pink) - so much so that there is a tray of seedlings in my garden awaiting an autumn
planting.

Molie, Mori - thanks for the namecheck - yet more to look up and sigh over.

I did like what I saw re the flowering of "Penstemon" so I planted a newer variety "Delft Blue Riding Hood". Anyone else have this in their garden this season?
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I got a couple, thinking I could split one and wind up with three. Too small.

Some kind soul liked the buds, so they cut one off at ground level. The other is blooming it's heart out at the moment and I'm making encouraging noises at it every time I see it. It's gorgeous.

Mine is soon to flower but it is such a small plant at the moment.

boday, any chance you could post a picture of your "blooming its heart" specimen?

Thanks Campanula - that's encouraging to hear. If you've got dry and windy conditions and lean, alkaline soil then we have similar sites. Even though that sort of sounds like terrible conditions for gardening, plants like the penstemon clan make it totally worthwhile.

I was thinking about my big echinacea brood here, and this year I am extra glad I have so many because they hold the fort in August when the garden could otherwise look ragged. This year we are on the garden tour which is in August and it's nice to know I can count on these guys to keep things looking fresh and interesting.

Back to penstemons, I have a new one from last year that is just about to burst into bloom. I'll report back if it shapes up to be a good one. It's great to learn about other types and see photos!

Karin mt---could your red penstemon be 'barbatus'?

I have it (a small plant from a swap this year) and it is a great scarlet colour. I can't wait until it is a nice bushy plant like yours. :-)

I also got 'dark tower' and' prairie twilight'(I think--have to look at it again) at the swap....both very pretty! :-)

Rouge

I've been out there, took a mess of pictures, none of them do it justice. I've got it between 'Snowcap daisy and fronting 'Walkers Low'. Sounds good in theory. Waiting for a different light.

The closest picture I found was Northcreek Nurseries

Okay, here's Penstemon Blue Delft.

What kind is this? Home Depot just said Penstemon. I just planted two of these this year.

I think I also have a Red Rocks Beardtongue Penstemon?

I also have a Sunset Foxglove that I thought was Penstemon. It has already been blooming.

Sunset Foxglove?

This is the one I think is the Red Rocks, but it seems more pink and not as tall as I would expect.

Thanks boday for the follow-up. Your "Delft Blue Riding Hood".is more mature ie larger than mine. Lets compare in say....August.

Rouge

Aha, and you even answered for me as to the full name. The dang picture is overexposed. But the plant is a carbon copy as shown in Northcreek plants. So far it looks promising. I scalped the 'Ruby Candle' in order to propagate extras, so it's busily sulking. The cuttings are doing well so next week, it's moment of truth.

campanula, I would have taken pictures but mine were done blooming.

Shell Leaf Penstemon is the native around here. Very pretty, and very durable in a dry place, but not long lived. Easy to save seeds or collect more along the bike path.