Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Firecracker Penstemon
Firecracker Penstemon is an early bloomer in a desert yard, sending up spikes of scarlet tube flowers in late winter and spring. Hummingbirds come straight to them. The rest of the year it is a low rosette of green leaves, so it fits a small bed or the front of a border. It grows wild across most of Arizona and needs little water once rooted.
Best for: hummingbird gardens, early color in a small bed or border, and rock gardens with soil that drains.
The long red tube flowers are made for hummingbirds. Plant it where you can watch them feed. Bees visit the flowers too.
It stays a low rosette of leaves until the flower stalks rise. Set plants about 2 to 3 feet apart along the front of a bed or border.
It comes from desert mountains and does better and lives longer in sandy or gravelly soil. Once rooted it needs little water.
In shade it grows leggy and flowers less. Overwatering or poor drainage can rot the roots. Like most penstemons, it is short-lived, lasting a few years.
- Bed or border2-3 ft apart
- Hummingbird cluster2 ft apart
Water a new plant every 2 to 4 days for the first few weeks, then stretch the time between waterings. Once rooted it needs little water. Give it some water in the hot, dry months and little or none in the cool winter months. Do not overwater, since soggy soil rots the roots.
Cut off finished flower stalks. Cutting stalks as the last flowers fade, before seed forms, can bring a second round of flowers. Leave a few stalks to ripen seed if you want new plants.
It is short-lived and usually lasts a few years. It sets seed, and new plants can come up nearby.
Grow it in full sun. In too much shade it makes fewer flowers, the stalks flop and powdery mildew can show up.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
When does firecracker penstemon bloom in Phoenix?
It blooms in late winter and spring, and the first flowers can open as early as January.
How big does firecracker penstemon get?
The leaves form a low rosette. In flower it reaches about 1 to 3 feet tall and 1.5 to 2 feet wide.
How far apart should I plant penstemon?
Plant them about 2 to 3 feet apart along a bed or border.
Does firecracker penstemon attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds are its main visitors, and bees and butterflies visit the flowers as well. Plant it where you can watch them from a window.
How much water does firecracker penstemon need?
It needs little water once rooted. Give it some water in the hot, dry months and little in the cool months. Do not overwater, since soggy soil can rot the roots.
Does firecracker penstemon need full sun?
Yes, full sun is best. In shade it grows leggy and blooms less.
Should I cut off penstemon flower stalks?
Cut the stalks when only a couple of flowers are left. That can bring a second round of blooms. Leave a few stalks to ripen seed if you want new plants.
Is firecracker penstemon native to Arizona?
Yes. It grows wild across most of Arizona and the rest of the Southwest.
How cold hardy is firecracker penstemon?
It is rated to about -20°F. A Valley winter is not a problem.
How long does firecracker penstemon live?
It is a short-lived perennial, usually lasting a few years. It sets seed, and new plants can come up nearby.
When is the best time to plant penstemon?
Fall is the best time, because plants set in fall are ready to flower the next spring.
Is firecracker penstemon evergreen?
Yes. The low rosette of bright green leaves stays green all year, even after the flower stalks are cut.
Firecracker Penstemon for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Firecracker Penstemon is an Arizona wildflower with bright scarlet flower spikes that open as early as January. Hummingbirds love it, and it needs little water. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from bloom time and size to spacing, water, pruning and reseeding.
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Firecracker penstemon in Phoenix
Firecracker penstemon blooms in late winter and spring, as early as January. Plant it in full sun with soil that drains, and give it little water once rooted.
How far apart to plant penstemon
Space plants about 2 to 3 feet apart in full or filtered sun. Each plant is a low rosette that sends up flower stalks 1 to 3 feet tall.
Cutting back penstemon for a second bloom
Cut the flower stalks when just a couple of blooms are left. New flower spikes can follow in a couple of weeks. Leave some stalks to ripen if you want seedlings.
Watering penstemon in the desert
Penstemons are drought tolerant, needing little water in the cool months and some water through the dry summer. Too much water can rot the roots.
Best penstemon for hummingbirds
Firecracker penstemon's long, narrow red tubes are made for hummingbird bills. Bees visit too, but hummingbirds are the main pollinator.
Firecracker penstemon vs Parry's penstemon
Firecracker has scarlet red flowers and can start blooming in January. Parry's has hot pink flowers from late February into April. Both are Arizona natives that hummingbirds love.
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