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Waggon Wheel® Bluemat Penstemon

Penstemon caespitosus 'P022S'

$11.99
$11.99 $14.99
per Plant - 5" Deep Pot
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ZONES  4-7 | Good to grow! Zone
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Penstemon caespitosus ‘P022S' (Waggon Wheel® Bluemat Beardtongue) is a resilient native cultivar from Plant Select®. This compact Penstemon lights up a summer garden with glowing lavender-purple flowers. It’s a beauty in a rock or crevice garden, or along sunny paths with good drainage. Penstemon caespitosus is a pollinator favorite and has special value to native bees. In winter, evergreen mats of foliage add winter interest.

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Description

Penstemon caespitosus ‘P022S' (Waggon Wheel® Bluemat Beardtongue) grows with prostrate stems in circular mats of evergreen foliage. The tiny spoon-like leaves make way for small tubular violet-blue flowers in summer, providing nourishment for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial native insects. Native to the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, Penstemon caespitosus thrives in lean, well-drained soil. It will tolerate clay soils but doesn’t like to be over-watered. Nice in low-maintenance containers too, they grow nicely with Lewisia, dwarf Lavender, and Sedum. A perfect addition to a xeric garden, rock garden, or lean area, it’s a low-maintenance plant that will gently spread once established. Introduced by Plant Select® – 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 “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

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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

  • Morning Sun & Afternoon Shade
  • Full Sun

Bloom Time

Summer

Advantages

  • Bee Friendly
  • Attracts Butterflies
  • Attracts Hummingbirds
  • Attracts Beneficial Insects
  • Native
  • Groundcover
  • Winter Interest
  • Container Planting
  • Rock Gardens
  • Deer Resistant

Tolerates

  • High Altitude

Additional information

Mature Height

1-2" tall

Mature Spread

12-14" wide

Soil Type

  • Average Soil
  • Compost Enriched Garden Loam Soil
  • Well-Drained Soil

Soil Moisture

  • Waterwise
  • Very Waterwise

Planting Time

  • Fall

Awards

Plant Select®

Native To

North America

Growing Zones

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

Neonicotinoid Free

Yes

Can Send To PO Box

No
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Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 1 reviews.

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Reviews

Good native substitute for creeping thyme and Veronica's

"You honestly wouldn't even think this was a penstemon if you didn't see it blooming. The bloom time is admittedly pretty short, but this selection actually grows really fast and can get to about 2feet wide in the first year. Use in rock gardens, the front of dry border, or anywhere you would use creeping thyme."

— Chad (5/5)

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