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SteppeSunsĀ® Sunset Glow Penstemon

Penstemon pinifolius 'P019S'

$7.99
$7.99 $9.99
per Plant - 2.5" Pot
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ZONES  4-8 | Good to grow! Zone
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A soft orange-flowered selection of pineleaf beardtongue, Penstemon pinifolius SteppeSunsĀ® 'Sunset Glow' is a native cultivar that starts flowering in late spring and attracts numerous pollinators and hummingbirds. Reminiscent of Colorado summer sunsets, its long-lasting blooms add a warm glow to dry area gardens. Finely textured evergreen foliage forms a compact mound for year-round interest. A 2011 Plant SelectĀ® selection.

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Description

(12-18" tall x 18-24" wide) SteppeSunsĀ® Sunset Glow Penstemon is the result of more than 20 years of breeding work at the Denver Botanic Gardens. This plant enjoys a well-drained, non-clay soil in part to full sun conditions. In low elevation-hot summer locations, Sunset Glow needs afternoon shade and regular irrigation. Recommended companion plants include English lavender, Hymenoxys (Thrift-Leaf Perky Sue) and Old World Salvia such as 'May Night' and 'Caradonna'. Best suited at elevations up to 7500 feet. Introduced by Plant SelectĀ®ā€“ waterwise, garden-tested plants proven to thrive in the high plains and intermountain west for more beauty, with less work.

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 ā€œelbow room,ā€ maximum sun, heat and donā€™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 (ā€˜Compactum', ā€˜Mersea Yellow', ā€˜Nearly Red', ā€˜Magdalena Sunshine' and ā€˜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

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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.Ā  The ā€˜Plant Informationā€™ 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 yourĀ 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 ourĀ shipping informationĀ page for approximate ship dates and more detailed information. If you have any questions, please call Customer Service at (801) 769-0300 orĀ contact usĀ by email or chat.

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Key Features

Light Requirements

  • Full Sun

Water Tolerance

Low-Water

Bloom Time

Mid summer to early fall

Advantages

  • Attracts Butterflies
  • Attracts Hummingbirds
  • Native
  • Groundcover
  • Evergreen
  • Easy To Grow
  • Container Planting
  • Small Spaces
  • Rock Gardens
  • Rabbit Resistant

Additional information

Mature Height

12-18" tall

Mature Spread

18-24" wide

Soil Type

  • Average Soil
  • Sandy Soil

Soil Moisture

  • Waterwise

Planting Time

  • Fall

Awards

Plant SelectĀ®

Growing Zones

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

Neonicotinoid Free

Yes

Ships As

Potted Plant

Can Send To PO Box

No
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Overall rating: 4.428571 / 5 from 7 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["water","summer","maintenance","flowers","plant","winter"].

Review highlights

Reviews

New Plant

"Just finally was able to plant this guy and so far he's doing well and is looking good with a few new shoots, will have to wait and see how it goes for the rest of the summer and if it comes back next year."

— Gaidy (5/5)

A unique penstemon

"I planted it along the driveway, at the end of a row of dwarf boxwoods."

— Jetes (5/5)

Dainty long lasting flowers

"I planted six of these last spring. 2 did not make it, but high country replaced them. The first summer I was a little disappointed because they didn't flower, but after seeing the replacements I was reminded how much they grew! And they stay green in the winter for some winter interest. This spring they started flowering and I just love them!"

— Em (4/5)

Not sure if I'll buy this plant again.

"The same plant that I bought 2 years ago didn't survive. Hopefully this one will as it has more sun, but the soil where the new ones are is worse, even after amendments. Crossing my fingers! There is one bloom on one plant so far."

— Katie (4/5)

Although they seen small appeared healthy and well potted

"This was to add to a new formed flower bed."

— CT G. (4/5)

Handsome evergreen that is truly low water + no maintenance

"I love this plant for how handsome and hardy it is. Evergreen plants with orange flowers are a bit of a unicorn for me because of the challenging climate on the Front Range (very hot summers and getting hotter, cold winters, quick and extreme weather changes) but this penstemon checks all the boxes! The plants arrived in great condition from High Country Gardens this past spring and already require no supplemental watering or special maintenance."

— Denver G. (5/5)

A nice penstemon cultivar

"When I received this plant, it was quite possibly the smallest plant I have ever gotten from HCG that didn't look like it was instantly going to die(probably about 1""x1/2""), well it didn't die. It definitely grew the first year, but nothing crazy, and was probably about 4""x6"" at the end of the first year. Then It showed off its hardiness by staying completely evergreen with no trimming required after a colder than usual winter(-26°F for multiple consecutive nights, and plenty of other nights in the negative teens). This year it's put on some good size, and bloomed well, it's still aways from the mature size, but it's only the second year after being as small as possible the first. The flowers are a very soft orange that can kind of get lost at times, so I'd recommend planting it against a dark boulder or another plant with dark green foliage to make it 'pop' more, such as a dwarf two-needle Pinion pine, or maybe eriogonum compositum(sold here) which has very dark green adaxial surfaces (top sides of the leaf) and white abaxial surfaces (bottom sides of the leaf). I haven't been gracious about watering it any point so it definitely has been a good waterwise selection of this native plant."

— Oscarflip (4/5)

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