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Luminous Pineleaf Penstemon

Penstemon pinifolius 'Luminous'

$14.39
$14.39 $17.99
per Plant - 5" Deep Pot
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ZONES  5-9 | Good to grow! Zone
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• This is an exceptional small growing, evergreen plant that covers itself with hundreds of bright light orange, yellow throated flowers in late spring to early summer
• A western native perennial, ‘Luminous’ Pineleaf Beardtongue thrives in well-drained soils with plenty of sunlight
• Drought resistant/drought tolerant plant (xeric)
• High Country Gardens 2016 Plant of the Year, 2016 Green Thumb Award Winner

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Description

8-10 in. tall x 12-15 in. wide. The bright light orange, yellow-throated flowers of 'Luminous' light up like a glowing orange bouquet of light when they capture the low-angled morning and late afternoon sunshine. This is an exceptional small growing, evergreen shrublet that covers itself with luminous orange flowers in late spring-early summer. A western native perennial, Pineleaf Beardtongue thrives in well-drained soils with plenty of sun and makes a fine edging plant with its tidy growth habit. Cutting propagated.

Learn More about this favorite perennial wildflower: 'Luminous' Pineleaf Penstemon: 2016 Plant Of The Year

To care for Penstemon pinifolius 'Luminous': deadhead in early to mid-summer after flowering has finished. It is evergreen, so don't cut it back in spring. Add organic fertilizer in the fall. Flat of 9 plants will cover 9-12 square feet when planted together.

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.

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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

Water Tolerance

Low-Water

Bloom Time

Late spring through early summer

Advantages

  • Attracts Hummingbirds
  • Native
  • Evergreen
  • Rabbit Resistant

Additional information

Mature Height

8-10" tall

Mature Spread

12-15" wide

Soil Type

  • Well-Drained Soil
  • Low Fertility Soil

Soil Moisture

  • Waterwise

Planting Time

  • Fall

Awards

HCG Plant Of The Year, Green Thumb

Special Groups

  • High Country Gardens Exclusive
  • High Country Gardens Introduction

Native To

North America

Growing Zones

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

Neonicotinoid Free

Yes
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Overall rating: 4.3 / 5 from 10 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["color","flowers","orange","soil","growing"].

Review highlights

Reviews

Healthy, but not exactly luminous

"I planted 5 of these along my walkway. All survived and made nice green mounds after one year, but only one has blooms, and not very many of them."

— GingerP (3/5)

They are doing well

"I've purchased many pine leaf penstemons from HCG. All have looked a little puny in the 1st year, attractive in the 2nd year and gorgeous in the 3rd year, with abundant blooms. (Sleep, creep, leap -- the classic pattern for native plants). The finely divided evergreen foliage is pretty all year. Here at 5800' in Prescott the winter temperatures can drop below 10F and summers see long days above 90F. All of the pine leaf penstemons I've bought have survived and thrived in our poor, hard DCG dirt. In the summer heat I do water them about once per week."

— Hiker (5/5)

Delightful

"These didn't do much the year they were planted, but this year they have been gorgeous for many weeks on end. Many delicate looking orange flowers on graceful stems that rise from pretty foliage. They are tough -- unfazed by hail storms."

— Hiker (5/5)

My penstemon

"Struggling to find what works and finally found it. My first penstemon are 3 yrs. old and I feel more beautiful each yr. So I've ordered more. The first ones are purple. I ordered blue to put next to them and the luminous penstemon across from those. The picture I've included survived upper 90's, uv index 13, with 45 mph wind gusts. It's one of my recent purchases."

— Gramanz (5/5)

Love the orange!!

"This one has taken a few tries, but I really wanted some orange in the garden and there were very few (maybe only this in fact) bright orange flowers for Zone 5. Im very happy I persevered as now in year two I have 4 blooming and the bright orange flares are lovely"

— Enthusiastic A. (4/5)

smaller than expected

"I didn't realize how small they were but their size fills in nicely. Pollinators love them"

— Cinger (3/5)

Lovely in 2nd year

"I planted these last spring in an area of heavily compacted, dry and dusty soil close to our newly constructed house, facing south on a slight slope. They looked a little pitiful over a hot summer and cold winter but this spring have grown quickly and are very, very pretty. I like the low height and the finely cut foliage. Great orange color in the delicate-looking blooms."

— Bee F. (5/5)

Sweet little native

"This is a hardy little native perennial. #sweepstakes"

— L (5/5)

Healthy & lovely color

"Arrived healthy and hummingbirds enjoy it! Planted 3 of these in the spring in the front of my native/pollinator garden. 2 out of 3 bloomed in July. These two get some afternoon shade from surrounding plants. The third one is growing well and expected to bloom in the next couple weeks. So, more sun = later bloom time? Might explain ""slow-growing"" comments. Pretty color and shape. Hummingbirds enjoy it :) Zone 5b"

— A. S. (4/5)

Slow grower, strong and attractive

"This is a very attractive, but slow grower. It has doubled in size, but it is still fairly compact. The flowers are very attractive and I'm sure it will do quite well next season once it gets its roots established."

— RRZ (4/5)

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