Penstemon parryi
Parry's penstemon
Scrophulariaceae Family
Form: low shrub, or herbaceous perennial
A pink variety of Penstemon parryii
Seasonality: usually evergreen
Size: foliage 6-8 inches high, to 2ft across
Leaves: blueish-green, thick and soft, lanceolate, apex is wider than basil portion, midribs and lower stems are sometimes purplish
Flowers: distinctive, showy spikes 1 to 3ft tall with funnel-shaped 3/4in long flowers; many shades of red and pink; bloom February to April
Fruit: pod containing pepper sized seeds
Stems/Trunks: single or multistemmed
Range/Origin: southern Arizona and Sonora Mexico; elevations of 1500-5000ft
Hardiness: to single digits
LANDSCAPE VALUE:
- accent color
- good in rock gardens, especially massed
- attracts hummingbirds
CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:
flowers of Penstemon parryi
- Exposure: full sun best, okay in filtered shade
- Water: natural rainfall; regular irrigations in summer will enhance next year's bloom
- Soil: adaptable, requires good drainage; also appreciates amended soil
- Propagation: seed, easy
- Maintenance: low; removal of old flowering stalks
NOTES:aka Desert penstemon
treated as a herbaceous perennial with a life span of 3-5 years
removal of flowering stalks just as seed is forming will stimulate more blooming and prolong life of plant
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This page was first created September 10, 2001 and last modified March 16, 2006
Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net© 2001 - 2006 Arizona Board of Regents. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved.
