Home
Advanced Search Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant Add Current Plant To List Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos

About Calscape Nurseries
California Garden Planner Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW) Planting Guide
Butterflies My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Tap map to see plants native to location
Order by Popularity Order by Common Name Order by Scientific Name Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view Text view
Loading....
Showy Penstemon
Penstemon spectabilis
  
62 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Showy Penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis) 62 Nurseries Carry This Plant Showy Penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis) is native to Southern California and to Baja California, where it grows primarily in the chaparral, scrub, and woodlands of the Peninsular and Transverse ranges, and to central California, where it grows in the northeastern part of the South Coast Range.

This perennial herb has an erect form with long thin leaves. Its flower cluster bears wide-mouthed, tubular purple-blue flowers, which may be over 1 inch long. Flower throats are lighter in color, lavender to nearly white, and hairless inside. This plant is often a pioneer species in recently disturbed habitats. It is great for a bird garden and is pollinated by wasps as well as by hummingbirds.

Showy Penstemons are beautiful, fast growing, and easy to grow. Plants start producing spectacular hummingbird-attracting purple flowers their first year. They like full sun if planted in rocky, loamy or clay soils that hold moisture better, and part shade if planted in drier, sandier soils. It's best to plant on a slight slope or on flats that drain at least moderately well.

They'll flower more abundantly with occasional summer water (1x per month) but may be shorter lived. If planted in an area that holds water better, like a flat area with loamy or clay soil, or a slight slope with plenty of rocks, Showy Penstemon usually doesn't need supplementary summer water.

Showy Penstemon is fairly short lived even under the best of circumstances, typically lasting 5 to 10 years. It's still a great plant to grow in Southern California, as they grow quickly and will often self seed and pop up in nearby spots in your garden, particularly in partly shaded areas.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
2 - 4 ft tall
3 - 4 ft wide

Form
Form
Mounding, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue, Pink, Purple

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds and other birds

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 13 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Junonia coenia Image
Common Buckeye Junonia coeniaJunonia coenia
*
Euphydryas chalcedona Image
Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona
*
Euphydryas editha Image
Edith's Checkerspot Euphydryas edithaEuphydryas editha
*
Euphydryas anicia Image
Anicia Checkerspot Euphydryas aniciaEuphydryas anicia
*
Euphydryas colon Image
Snowberry Checkerspot Euphydryas colonEuphydryas colon
*
Endothenia hebesana Image
Verbena Bud Moth Endothenia hebesanaEndothenia hebesana
*
Amblyptilia pica Image
Geranium Plume Moth Amblyptilia picaAmblyptilia pica

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 62

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Performs best and lives longest in well-drained soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), San Diego Viguiera (Bahiopsis laciniata), California Encelia (Encelia californica), Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Manzanita spp., Scrub Oaks, and various annuals such as California Poppy.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Gentle rocky slopes and dry flats as part of chaparral or coastal sage scrub

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 4.5" - 49.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 3.55", Coldest Month: 27.1" - 55.4", Hottest Month: 52.9" - 81.0", Humidity: 1.04" - 32.06", Elevation: 221" - 10493"


Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label
Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


Sign in to your Calscape Account X




Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.

Email Address
Password

Sign In