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Showy Penstemon
Penstemon spectabilis
  
About Showy Penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis) 63 Nurseries Carry This Plant Showy penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis) lives up to its name, being the showiest of the penstemons. It grows fast, reaching 2 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. This perennial bears spectacular wide-mouthed, tubular violet or purple-blue flowers from its first year on. In good conditions it may flower late winter into summer.

Showy penstemon is beautiful and easy to grow. It likes full sun and tolerates a variety of soils, including clay. If planted in an area that holds water better, it usually doesn't need supplementary summer water. The plant will flower more abundantly with occasional summer water (once per month) but may be shorter lived. It is fairly short lived even under the best of circumstances, typically lasting 5 to 10 years. However, it often self seeds.

This deer-resistant plant is great for wildlife, attracting a variety of native bees and hummingbirds for nectar. It is a larval host for a likely total of 13 butterfly and moth species.
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

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

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"


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


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