Illustration of Penstemon azureus var. azureus by François Hérincq (1851). [Public Domain]
Genus: Penstemon
Common Names: beardtongue
Penstemons (also called beardtongues) are the largest genus of flowering plants native to North America and come in various sizes, shapes, and colors. Throughout the 1900s penstemon species from Mexico and the Southwest U.S. were imported to Europe and bred and hybridized specifically for long, showy blooms and adaptability into traditional Western gardens. Many of these hybrids (and their descendants) are still around today and have been a staple of pollinator gardens everywhere. .
Distribution: North America
Our Selection
Penstemon 'Blackbird'
Description: perennial; broad leaves on reddish stems and tubular burgundy-purple flowers from summer to first frost. Part of the "bird series" of garden penstemons bred and introduced in the 1960s by Ron Sidwell of Bredon Hill, Worcestershire (Other members include: P. 'Raven', P. 'Osprey', P. 'Flamingo', and P. 'Whitethroat').
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Catherine de la Mare'
Description: perennial; a chance seedling found in the Hertfordshire garden of Richard de La Mare and named for his wife. Thought to be a cross between P. heterophyllus and another unknown species. Mostly evergreen serrated foliage and a marvelous show of copious blue-purple flowers from late spring into summer.
Height: to 18 in. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon 'Cherry Glow'
Description: perennial; dark green foliage and purple calyces that open to cherry red flowers with streaked white throats. Blooms summer to autumn.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'Coral Kissed'
Description: perennial; the second introduction from Joy Creek Nursery's "kissed series". Large, pure white-flowers with pure white throats and a fringe of coral pink on the lips. Blooms from summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Elfin Pink'
Description: perennial; an especially hardy hybrid of P. barbatus. Forms a dark green basal rosette and sends up 2 ft. stalks covered in small, tubular pink flowers from late spring into summer.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon 'Elizabeth Cozzens'
Description: perennial; lanceolate, mid-green foliage and lilac-pink flowers with streaked white throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 30 in. Spread: to 30 in.
Penstemon 'Enor'
Description: perennial; glossy dark green foliage and a sturdy, upright growth habit. A very long bloomer of tubular purple flowers from summer to first frost. Ours has even bloomed for us during several snow events. Will never flop under the weight of its flowers. What's not to love?
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Evelyn'
Description: perennial; an exceptionally cold hardy penstemon with an award of garden merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Very neat, narrow foliage and small, tubular pink flowers from summer to first frost.
Height: to 18 in. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon 'Firebird'
Description: perennial; also known as 'Shoenholzeri.' A 1939 cross of P. 'Garnet' and P. 'Southgate Gem' selected for longevity and sturdy stems. Attractive narrow green foliage and long-blooming tubular red flowers from summer to first frost. Almost 100 years in cultivation, this penstemon has clearly withstood the test of time.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Flamingo'
Description: perennial; compact growth and long spikes of large pink flowers with streaked white throats. An especially long bloomer from summer to first frost. Part of the "bird series" of garden penstemons bred and introduced in the 1960s by Ron Sidwell of Bredon Hill, Worcestershire (other members include: P. 'Blackbird', P. 'Osprey', P. 'Raven', and P. 'Whitethroat').
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon 'Garden Star'
Description: perennial; apple green foliage and clusters of small, clear pink flowers with pinkish-white throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Garnet'
Description: perennial; one of the hardiest of our garden penstemons. Narrow foliage and blooms of tubular red flowers from summer to first frost. Originally known as Penstemon 'Andenken an Friedrich Hahn'.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Geoff Hamilton'
Description: perennial; broad foliage and large, cherry red flowers with maroon-streaked throats. Blooms summer into autumn.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Ghent Purple'
Description: perennial; low-growing and ideal for the front of a border or garden bed. Serrated foliage and small, tubular purple flowers with streaked white throats. Blooms from summer until first frost.
Height: to 18 in. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Gilchrist'
Description: perennial; small, rose-pink flowers with burgundy streaked throats- sometimes up to 25 on a single stem. Glossy, narrow green foliage. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 30 in. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Joy'
Description: perennial; broad foliage and salmon red foliage with white throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Margarita BOP'
Description: perennial; found as a chance seedling in the early 1980s by Las Pilitas Nursery of California and thought to be a hybrid of P. heterophyllus and P. laetus; "BOP" is in reference to "bottom of porch" where the original plant was found. Low, evergreen foliage and long-blooming blue-violet flowers from summer into autumn.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Midnight'
Description: perennial; an especially long-lived cultivar with narrow dark green foliage and a compact growth habit. Dark purple-blue flowers with purple streaked throats. Blooms from summer until first frost.
Height: to 30 in. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon 'Mother of Pearl'
Description: perennial; somewhat unique, small opalescent flowers with shades of violet and lavender and burgundy streaked throats. Especially hardy and long-blooming from summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Papal Purple'
Description: perennial; narrow foliage and small, purple flowers. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 30 in. Spread: to 30 in.
Penstemon 'Pershore Pink Necklace'
Description: perennial; large pink flowers with white throats and a distinct band of white along the bottom lip that forms a 'necklace' pattern. Blooms from summer until fall. Originated at Pershore College in 1995.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Purple Bedder'
Description: perennial; dark burgundy-purple flowers with even darker maroon streaked throats. Broad foliage and vigorous. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'Purple Giant'
Description: perennial; red-purple flowers on long burgundy stems above mid-green foliage. Very vigorous. Blooms summer into autumn.
Height: to 40 in. Spread: to 40 in.
Penstemon 'Purple Passion'
Description: perennial; an introduction from New Zealand. Purple flowers with pure white throats.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Purple Tiger'
Description: perennial; an introduction by Joy Creek Nursery of Oregon. Broad, serrated foliage and purple-blue flowers with purple streaked throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 30 in. Spread: to 30 in.
Penstemon 'Raspberry Flair'
Description: perennial; an introduction by Joy Creek Nursery of Oregon. Large, lavender-purple flowers with dark raspberry streaked throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'Raspberry Wine'
Description: perennial; a 2005 introduction by Joy Creek Nursery of Oregon. Broad, mid-green foliage with upright, compact growth. Wine red flowers with streaked throats bloom summer to first frost.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'Raven'
Description: perennial; an especially vigorous cultivar with dark green foliage and sturdy, upright growth. Dark purple-red flowers with streaked white throats bloom from summer until first frost. Part of the "bird series" of garden penstemons bred and introduced in the 1960s by Ron Sidwell of Bredon Hill, Worcestershire (other members include: P. 'Blackbird', P. 'Osprey', P. 'Flamingo', and P. 'Whitethroat').
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Red Hot Kissed'
Description: perennial; a late addition to the "kissed series" introduced by Joy Creek Nursery of Oregon. Large red flowers with pure white throats. Blooms summer into autumn.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon 'Red Trumpet'
Description: perennial; one of our favorites with strong, upright stems and broad green foliage. Bright red flowers with streaked white throats. Perhaps the longest-blooming penstemon that we offer. Ours have even bloomed through multiple snow events.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'Sutton's Pink Bedder'
Description: perennial; shiny green foliage and compact growth. Mid-sized pink flowers with pure white throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'Stapleford Gem'
Description: perennial; narrow foliage and small reddish-purple flowers with purple-streaked white throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Thorn'
Description: perennial; a long-lived cultivar with attractive mid green foliage and narrow, white flowers with rose-red lips that fade to pink as flowers open. Blooms from summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Violet Kissed'
Description: perennial; the first introduction of Joy Creek Nursery's "kissed series". Large flowers with purple-violet lips with pure white throats. Blooms from summer to first frost.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'White Bedder'
Description: perennial; broad foliage and large white flower spikes with soft pink edges and pure white throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon 'Wine Kissed'
Description: perennial; the fourth introduction of Joy Creek Nursery's "kissed series". Large, seductive wine-red flowers with pure white throats from summer to first frost.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon 'Wisley Pink'
Description: perennial; narrow foliage and small pink flowers with streaked throats. Blooms summer to first frost.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon azureus
Description: perennial; Found in the coastal mountains of SW Oregon and NW California and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Semi-evergreen with narrow foliage and violet-blue flowers from spring into summer.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon cardwellii
Description: evergreen groundcover; a species named for Dr. James R. Cardwell, a horticulturalist and the first ever dentist to practice in Portland, OR. Found in the Oregon Cascades and Coast Range and the southernmost Washington Cascades at moderate elevations. Mat-forming with dense shrubby growth and attractive foliage year round. Blue-violet flowers from late spring into summer.
Height: to 1 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.
Penstemon davidsonii
Description: evergreen groundcover; a variable species found from California north to British Columbia. A low-growing penstemon that forms a dense, evergreen mat of small, glossy leaves. Profuse blooms of blue-violet flowers from late spring into summer. Longer-lived with lean soil and a mulch of gravel beneath.
Height: to 6 in. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon deustus ex Dixie Butte
Description: perennial; our own selection from the foothills of Dixie Butte, Oregon. Small white flowers from late spring into summer.
Height: to 1 ft. Spread: to 1 ft.
Penstemon heterophyllus ex 'Blue Springs'
Description: perennial; a showy seed strain of the widespread California foothills penstemon. Very showy blue-violet flowers bloom from late spring throughout the summer. No supplemental water needed once established and really no need to prune. Beautiful linear foliage stays evergreen.
Height: to 14 in. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon kunthii
Description: perennial; an impressively cold hardy species native to Southern Mexico. Strong, arching growth that won't flop under the weight of it's copious red trumpet flowers. Long-lived and long-blooming from summer until first frost. No garden should be without it.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon ovatus
Description: perennial; found in damp, rocky outcrops at moderate elevations from Oregon to B.C. Forms an evergreen, basal rosette from which it sends up 18 in. stalks covered in small, blue-violet flowers from spring into early summer. Performs best in dappled shade or with morning sun and afternoon shade.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon pinifolius 'Nearly Red'
Description: perennial; a selection with flowers that are more red than what's typically found within the species. Evergreen needle-like foliage and profuse blooms of tubular red-orange flowers throughout the summer. Very well-adapted to drought as the species is native to Arizona and New Mexico.
Height: to 12 in. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow'
Description: perennial; found in an English garden as a yellow-flowering sport of a typically red-orange flowering species. One of very few truly yellow-flowered penstemons in cultivation. Evergreen needle-like foliage and profuse blooms of tubular yellow flowers throughout the summer. Very well-adapted to drought as the species is native to Arizona and New Mexico.
Height: to 12 in. Spread: to 18 in.
Penstemon procerus var. procerus ex Dixie Butte
Description: perennial; our own selection from the foothills of Dixie Butte, Oregon. Very dense inflorescences of small, blue-violet flowers from spring into summer.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon pseudospectabalis
Description: perennial; found in the SW U.S. Broad, serrated foliage and spikes of tubular, deep pink flowers in summer. Well-adapted to drought.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Penstemon rostriflorus
Description: perennial; found in the SW. U.S. Narrow foliage and masses of orange-red flower spikes with narrow, tubular flowers in summer. Long-blooming and long-lived if sited well.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Penstemon serrulatus
Description: perennial; found in the Oregon Cascade and Coast range and northward to Alaska. Finely serrated leaves and blue-violet flowers from late spring into summer. Performs best in dappled shade or with morning sun and afternoon shade.
Height: to 2 ft. Spread: to 2 ft.
Additional resources:
Penstemon: An Introduction by Joy Creek Nursery, some of the most knowledgeable folks when it comes to growing penstemons here in Oregon. Their introductions comprise a considerable part of our selection; sadly their retail location is now closed permanently.
Nold, Robert. (1999). Penstemons. United Kingdom: Timber Press.
Strickler, D. (1997). Northwest Penstemons: 80 Species of Penstemon Native to the Pacific Northwest. United States: Flower Press.