Anna's hummingbird with Penstemon and Indian Paintbrush

   Brilliant blue flowers grow through unlikely crevices among hot, dry rock. A spring trip to the Columbia Gorge delights with a treasure trove of native Penstemons; against their basalt backdrop they appear as jewels in a harsh landscape. Leslie Haskin found inspiration here for her book Wildflowers of the Pacific Coast. “There [Penstemon rupicola] may be seen in all its beauty without the effort of a wearisome climb to the heights. There, also, it blooms in early spring, while its mountain sisters may not open their blossoms until the hot sun of late summer has thawed the alpine snowbanks and uncovered the mat-like plants.” These American wildflowers are a familiar sight for hikers in the Cascades, but they can also be found all over our state. Though most common in rocky alpine habitats, there are species adapted to many different conditions, including coastal forms that thrive in lowland areas of the Willamette Valley. Of 386 varieties found throughout America, 80 are native to the Pacific Northwest, varying in size and habit from mat-forming rock huggers to woody shrubs of 3 feet or more; in color from reds to scarlet and blue to violet.

©Larry Everson
western sulphur on
Penstemon euglaucus

   Gardeners enjoy the unique beauty of Penstemons along with their ease of care and attraction for butterflies and hummingbirds.

   Despite most species' alpine ancestry, they take well to lowland gardens when given excellent drainage and full sun. Use them in a rock garden, among butterfly gardens, or in a dry sunny spot in your garden. They require sharp drainage, full sun and low fertility. Plant them in the right spot, and leave them alone!

Northwest Penstemons

Here at Bosky Dell Natives, we propagate many Penstemon species. Those listed below are grown here at our nursery; availability varies.

• Penstemon attenuatus, taper-leaved penstemon, sulphur penstemon: highly variable herbaceous penstemon (4-28") with clusters of blue-purple to pink, yellow or white flowers in late spring, early summer. NE Oregon. It generally grows in meadows, under pines, and on slopes. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon cardwellii, Cardwell’s penstemon: shrubby mat-forming penstemon (4 to 12" tall) with evergreen leaves and purple to blue-violet flowers from late spring to summer. Cascade Mountains & Coast Range of Oregon. It generally grows on mountain slopes along forest edges. Sun/part sun. Named for Fr. James R. Cardwell (1830-1916), horticulturist. He emigrated to Oregon by wagon train in 1851.
• Penstemon cardwellii var. rupicola: a native hybrid with electric pink flowers.
• Penstemon confertus, scorched penstemon, yellow penstemon: herbaceous, somewhat mat-forming penstemon (8-20") with dense clusters of pale yellow flowers (P. confertus x P. procerus produce pink flowers) late spring through summer. NE Oregon. It inhabits both low-elevation meadows and subalpine rocky sites. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon cusickii, Cusick’s penstemon: shrubby penstemon (6-18") with many slender stems and gray-green to glaucous leaves. Blue-violet to purple flowers appear from late spring to mid-summer. SW Oregon. It grows in the basaltic soils of SE Oregon. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon davidsonii, David’s penstemon, creeping penstemon: shrubby penstemon (up to 6" tall) with small evergreen leaves and blue to purple flowers in summer. Coast Range, Cascade Mountains, Steens Mountain in Oregon. It generally grows in rocky outcrops and scree. Sun, low water. Named for George Davidson, an early plant collector.
• Penstemon davidsonii var. praeteritus: a larger flowered form with short points at leaf tips, found on Steens Mountain.
• Penstemon eatonii, firecracker penstemon, Eaton’s penstemon: short-lived penstemon (16-40") with brilliant red flowers from spring to early summer. Excellent hummingbird plant! Plant in dry, open sites with ponderosa pine and sage. S Idaho, SW Colorado, New Mexico, S California. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon ellipticus, rockvine penstemon: mat-forming, semi-woody penstemon (2-6") with some evergreen & some deciduous leaves and large lavender blooms in summer. It resembles Penstemon davidsonii. It generally grows at high elevations in rocky areas. Good rock garden plant. Native to se BC, sw Alberta, n Idaho. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon euglaucus, glaucous penstemon: Herbaceous penstemon (6 to 24" tall) with waxy, blue foliage and dark blue to lavender flowers in summer. Cascade Mountains. It generally grows in sandy soil in open woods. Sun, low water. Good butterfly plant.
• Penstemon fruticosus, shrubby penstemon, bush penstemon: This beautiful mat-forming, woody penstemon (6 to 16" tall) has pairs of lavender to purple flowers at leaf nodes. It blooms from late spring to summer. Leaves are opposite, shiny, evergreen. It grows on open rocky slopes in the mountains from interior British Columbia and Alberta, south to Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming. Sun, low water.

Northwest Penstemons

• Penstemon newberryi, mountain pride, Newberry’s penstemon: mat-forming penstemon (5 to 12" tall) with evergreen leaves and lavender, rose, or purple flowers in summer. Easy to grow! It grows in southern OR and northern CA in rocky outcrops. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon ovatus, broad-leaved penstemon: herbaceous penstemon (12 to 40" tall) with a basal rosette of ovate to oblanceolate leaves. Blue to purple flowers bloom late spring/early summer. P. ovatus grows in damp sites at forest edges; it does well at the coast. Multnomah County, Oregon north to BC. Sun/part sun, moderate to regular water.
• Penstemon richardsonii, cut-leaf penstemon, Richard’s penstemon: a semi-shrubby penstemon with sprawling stems (8 to 32" long) and electric pink, lavender, or blue flowers in from late spring to the end of summer. Easy to grow! It usually grows in scree. Central Oregon, east of Cascade Mountains. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon rupicola, rock penstemon: prostrate, shrubby, evergreen penstemon (to 4" tall) with leathery, bluish foliage and large pink to deep rose flowers late spring to mid-summer. It usually grows in rocky outcrops or basalt cliffs, from the Columbia Gorge to high up in the mountains, east & west sides of the Cascades. Look for it at Larch Mountain. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon serrulatus, Cascade penstemon, coast penstemon: semi-woody penstemon (8 to 28" tall) with deep blue to pink or purple flowers in summer. Easy to grow! It usually grows in moist areas in spring, but still requires well-drained soil. Coast penstemon, of course, grows well at the coast. NW Oregon, west of Cascade crest. It grows prolifically all over Mt. Hood. Sun/part sun, moderate-regular water.
• Penstemon species, Broken Top penstemon : herbaceous clump or mat-forming (2 to 16” tall) with deep blue to purple flowers late spring/summer. Gorgeous with Castilleja. It grows in dry meadows and open forest slopes, NE Oregon. Sun, low water. Probably alpine form of P. procerus.
• Penstemon speciosus, showy penstemon: a widespread and variable species with bright blue to violet flowers, stems in a clump, 2 to 36 “. Grows in the Siskiyous of SW Oregon, in sagebrush prairies, pondersosa pine forests and susbalpine habitats.
• Penstemon subserratus, fine-toothed penstemon, subserrate penstemon: herbaceous penstemon (12 to 32" tall) with blue flowers from late spring to early summer. It generally grows in clearings. Mt. Hood, Oregon. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon venustus, lovely penstemon, beautiful penstemon: herbaceous penstemon (12-32") with many lavender to purple flowers from late spring through summer. It usually grows in rocky or gravelly areas from mid- to high elevation. NE Oregon. Sun, low water.
• Penstemon wilcoxii, Wilcox’s penstemon: herbaceous penstemon (16-40") with bright blue to blue-purple flowers late spring to summer. It grows in open rocky areas as well as woodlands in NE Oregon. Sun/part sun, low water.