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Rocky Mountain Penstemon

Penstemon strictus

$8.24
$8.24 $10.99
per Plant - 5" Deep Pot
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ZONES  4-9 | Good to grow! Zone
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• Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Beardtongue) with its spikes of bright blue flowers and evergreen foliage, is one of the easiest-to-grow Penstemon
• Bright blue and violet blossoms attract pollinators in mid to late spring
• Long-lived, this beauty thrives in most any well-drained soil with full sun exposure
• Drought resistant/drought tolerant plant (xeric)

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Description

24" tall x 36" wide (seed propagated). A native beardtongue of the foothills and mountains of the southern Rockies, this plant grows easily over a wide range of the western U.S. The tall showy spikes of intense blue-purple flowers last for over a month in late spring. Spreading steadily via stolons to form large clumps, Penstemon strictus is one of the longest-lived, most easily grown of the Penstemons. A real show stopper! Cut off flowering spikes after bloom; leave a few if reseeding is desirable.

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

Mid to late spring

Advantages

  • Bee Friendly
  • Attracts Hummingbirds
  • Attracts Birds
  • Attracts Beneficial Insects
  • Native
  • Naturalizes
  • Evergreen
  • Easy To Grow
  • Low Maintenance
  • Erosion Control
  • Rock Gardens
  • Deer Resistant
  • Rabbit Resistant

Additional information

Mature Height

24-30" tall

Mature Spread

36" wide

Soil Type

  • Average Soil
  • Sandy Soil

Soil Moisture

  • Waterwise

Planting Time

  • Spring / Summer

Growing Zones

  • Zone 4
  • Zone 5
  • Zone 6
  • Zone 7
  • Zone 8
  • Zone 9

Ships As

Potted Plant

Can Send To PO Box

No

Ships to Hawaii & Alaska

No

Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 5 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: [species, plant].

Review highlights

Reviews

Nice plant

"Small at first very green growing nicely, excited to see it bloom. We'll packaged. I used yum yum mix and superthrive for all my perennials and they are doing great"

— Krystal M. (5/5)

I would buy it again

"My plants all arrived in excellent condition."

— SHL (5/5)

I love these mountain flowers.

"Healthy beautiful plants"

— Kathy O. (5/5)

Penstemon strictus

"To be honest I think this species is a bit over planted, and people should choose the unique species native to their regions rather than going with what's popular. That aside, this is a great plant, bees are always buzzing around it, it's very drought tolerant, and just is flat out beautiful. It's more tolerant of growing in woodchips than most of the other western Penstemons. Reseeds a lot if there's low plant competition, I often find these growing in peoples zeroscapes(landscape fabric with rocks over it and no plants), in other peoples yards on my street, and they all come from my house…too bad they don't know what a beautiful plant they got for free and always remove them."

— Oscarflip (5/5)

Beautiful purple spires naturalized in gardens

"The rocky mountain penstemon has thrived, and naturalized, in our high mountain gardens. Its purple spires attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Last snow was June 18, last rain was June 20, and the Penstemons are a welcome sight in dry weather in mid July."

— Phoenix (5/5)

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