Penstemon barbatus 'Coccineus' - BEARD-LIP BEARTONGUE 'COCCINEUS'

Southwest native, but still very hardy perennial with bright scarlet orange-red, tear drop shaped flowers in May to July.

Easy to grow perennial, very showy flowers, deer, rabbit and drought resistant plant.

Naturally occurs in open woodlands and dry slopes, so in garden prefers full sun and drained soils, medium to dry (loam, sandy, gravelly, shallow, drained soils). Avoid wet, poorly drained or waterlogged soils.

This plant forms dense basal clumps of prolonged evergreen leaves, with very long and loose flowering stems, up to 4' tall x 9"-1' wide (in shallow or very dry soils less).

It attracts hummingbirds and native bees. Native wildflower in AZ, C, MA, NM, TX, UT, hardy in zones 3 to 9.

Looks the best when intermingled with other perennials, that will support it's slender habit. Plant in bigger rock gardens, dry prairie planting, flower beds, xeriscape, low maintenance planting, hummingbird gardens or pollinator gardens.

The best combinations are with perennials with bigger flowers like taller Coreopsis (C. lanceolata, C. verticillata), Rudbeckia, Echinacea and medium sized grasses (Stipa - Nassella tenuissima, Sporobolus, Muhlenbergia, Eragrostis). But it will look good with Salvia or Eryngium too.

Picture copyright : peganum, Commons Wikipedia

Pot Size : square 3.5" x 4" deep perennial pot