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Coconino County Desert Penstemon

Penstemon pseudospectabilis 'Coconino County'

$8.99
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per Plant - 2.5" Pot
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ZONES  5-9 | Good to grow! Zone
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Amount: Plant - 2.5" Pot
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• Penstemon pseudospectabilis ‘Coconino County’ (Desert Beardtongue) is a naturally selected native hybrid discovered in Arizona
• Blooms with numerous spikes of intensely deep pink tubular flowers in late spring
• A willing re-seeder, it spreads gently, helping to fill in difficult-to-plant areas
• Drought resistant/drought tolerant plant (xeric)

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Description

30-36" tall x 18" wide (seed propagated). Few plants can duplicate the tremendous floral display produced by this special Beardtongue. This amazing selection of Desert Beardtongue blooms for a month in late spring with hundreds of intensely deep-pink, tubular flowers. Enjoy Coconino County's attractive mound of evergreen foliage by deadheading the plant after flowering is finished. This southwestern native Penstemon is my favorite for hot, dry sites and thrives in poor, well-drained soils. A vigorous re-seeder, use it with other re-seeding native wildflowers like Blue Flax and Chocolate Flower to populate harsh sites with their seedlings. My original plants were grown from habitat collected seeds gathered in Coconino Co., AZ, hence the name.

Planting & Care

Tips for growing Penstemon (Beardtongue)

Penstemon are generally evergreen and have beautiful flowers that are very attractive to hummingbirds. Most varieties are rabbit resistant.

  1. They need “elbow room,” maximum sun, heat and don’t like to be crowded by other plants.
  2. Plant only in well-drained soils; clay soils and Penstemon are incompatible.
  3. Avoid overly enriched soils; too much compost and fertilizer will shorten their lifespan.
  4. They establish quickly and the amount and frequency of watering needs to be reduced after about 8 to 10 weeks to create dry conditions.
  5. When using drip irrigation, be sure to put the emitter off to the side of the plant, not right on top of the root ball to avoid overwatering the plant.
  6. Plant high, leaving the top of the rootball just above the surrounding soil to avoid burying the crown of the plant.
  7. Mulch with gravel or pine needles in arid climates. No mulch is needed where conditions are moister. Always avoid bark, grass clippings, or compost as mulch materials.
  8. Allow some of the plants to set seed (don't deadhead all of the flower spikes)*.
  9. Fertilize sparingly. One time each year in the fall is enough. Apply a light application of an organic or natural fertilizer such as Yum Yum Mix as a top dressing around the plants. Don't use high nitrogen water soluble fertilizer like Miracle Grow.

*To keep penstemon that have finely textured or matted evergreen foliage looking their best, you'll want to 'deadhead" them. Shear off the fading flowering spikes just as the plant is going out of flower. Gently bunch the flower spikes together with one hand and cut them off at the point where they go down into the mat of foliage with your clipper in your other hand. Recommended for the following varieties: P. pinifolius types (‘Compactum', ‘Mersea Yellow', ‘Nearly Red', ‘Magdalena Sunshine' and ‘Tall Orange Mix'), as well as Penstemon linarioides v. coloradensis and Penstemon virens ('Blue Lips').

More in-depth guidance for growing Penstemon: Growing Penstemon, The Beardtongue Family: Penstemania for Penstemon.

Shipping

As soon as your order is placed you will receive a confirmation email. You will receive a second email the day your order ships telling you how it has been sent. Some perennials are shipped as potted plants, some as perennial roots packed in peat.  The ‘Plant Information’ section describes how that item will ship. All perennials and fall-planted bulbs are packaged to withstand shipping and are fully-guaranteed. Please open upon receipt and follow the instructions included.

Perennials and fall-planted bulbs are shipped at the proper planting time for your Growing Zone. Perennial and fall-planted bulb orders will arrive separately from seeds. If your order requires more than one shipment and all items are shipping to the same address, there is no additional shipping charge. See our shipping information page for approximate ship dates and more detailed information. If you have any questions, please call Customer Service at (801) 769-0300 or contact us by email or chat.

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Key Features

Light Requirements

  • Full Sun

Bloom Time

Late spring to early summer

Advantages

  • Bee Friendly
  • Attracts Butterflies
  • Attracts Hummingbirds
  • Attracts Birds
  • Native
  • Evergreen
  • Easy To Grow
  • Container Planting
  • Rock Gardens
  • Deer Resistant

Additional information

Mature Height

30-36" tall

Mature Spread

18" wide

Soil Type

  • Low Fertility Soil
  • Well-Drained Soil

Soil Moisture

  • Waterwise

Planting Time

  • Spring / Summer

Awards

Plant Select®

Special Groups

  • High Country Gardens Introduction

Growing Zones

  • Zone 5
  • Zone 6
  • Zone 7
  • Zone 8
  • Zone 9

Ships As

Potted Plant

Can Send To PO Box

No
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Overall rating: 4.9166665 / 5 from 12 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["plant","flowers","border","blooms"].

Review highlights

Reviews

Bright, beautiful blooms!

"Received my 2 plants in great shape in both the spring and fall, and within the first year had tons of blooms! This area gets a ton of hot, hot Colorado sun with some light shade in the late afternoon. We will aee how much it spreads, but I am looking forward to watching these take off"

— Caitlin (5/5)

So far so good. It

"So far so good. It appears to be a hearty little plant."

— Carlos A. (5/5)

Coconino County Desert Penstemon

"I purchased Coconino County Desert Penstemon, for a south and west facing hot and windy bluff, flower border with minor soil amendments. Plants arrived promptly and in good condition. They were small but healthy. After a couple days to acclimate, I planted them and with supplemental watering they are beginning to show growth after almost 2 months. I am beginning to see a couple flower stems form, so I expect to see some flowers this summer. The test will be to see how they survive my zone 7 winter. Since they are rated to zone 5, I am hopeful. I will likely order from HCG again, due to the varieties of water wise plants offered that are not available in my area. Thank you HCG. I love your website with informative and inspirational content!"

— Gorge G. (4/5)

Very xeric, very showy.

"Big, earlier blooming Penstemon(gotta wait till second year for blooms usually). I almost never water them, hummingbirds love them, and they reseed freely, so two plants can be extras to put all over the yard after a few years."

— Some G. (5/5)

Love Them

"I ordered 6 of these and all of them came impeccably packed. Not a flake of soil out of place. I had to wait a few days to plant them (5 or 6) so I made sure to keep them watered. They were in wonderful shape. And even though I haven't been able to keep them as watered as I like, they still developed buds which are about to bloom. I am so happy with these plants and plan to get more. Hopefully they will come in again next year and keep getting stronger."

— Lizzie (5/5)

Handsome plant, beautiful flowers

"I planted these last spring on a slight slope facing due south, near a big rock. No blooms the 1st year but the foliage was very attractive, staying green and healthy throughout a cold, snowy winter. They have filled out fast this spring and are in full, glorious bloom. The hummingbirds love the deep pink, tubular flowers."

— Bee F. (5/5)

Beautiful plants

"Last summer's heat was a disaster for many of my plants so I was very happy to find this penstemon available. The 3 plants arrived at a perfect planting time, well packed, and very healthy. So far they are doing great and even starting to bloom. Very happy!"

— Martha (5/5)

A great choice

"This penstamen has outrageous, large, brilliant flowers. It hasn't been long lived in my yard, but has seeded itself just enough that I have one or two every growing season. I don't try to move them, but they mostly come up in just the right places."

— Long G. (5/5)

I would buy this product again

"It has an interesting shape at this point. I suspect that once it gets going it will get that penstemon shape."

— Jackie (5/5)

best plant packaging I've ever had

"This plant was healthy, with a good root system, and was packaged so well. It came in pristine condition and has withstood the heat of the summer in it's first year. Would definitely buy again."

— JJ (5/5)

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