Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Parry's Penstemon
Parry's Penstemon is a southern Arizona wildflower that sends up 3 to 4 foot spikes of hot pink flowers from late February into April. Hummingbirds are its main visitors, and bees and butterflies come too. Between blooms it is a small rosette of blue-green leaves about a foot or so across. It reseeds readily, so a few plants can turn into a colony, and it needs little water once rooted.
Best for: hummingbird gardens, a wildflower patch that spreads on its own by seed, and rock gardens or dry beds with sandy soil.
Hummingbirds are the main visitors to the pink tube flowers, and bees and butterflies come too. The spikes reach 3 to 4 feet tall above the leaves.
Let some flower stalks ripen seed and new plants come up around the old ones. Over a few years a small planting can turn into a colony.
It grows wild on hillsides and in washes and canyons. Set plants about 2 to 3 feet apart in sandy or gravelly soil that drains.
Too much shade or damp means fewer flowers and powdery mildew. Overwatering can rot the roots. Each plant lives only a few years, so reseeding keeps it going.
- Bed or patch2-3 ft apart
- Mass planting2 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 winter. Overwatering and poor drainage cause root rot, which is its most common problem.
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 lives about 3 to 5 years but reseeds readily, and seedlings replace the old plants. Let seed ripen on a few stalks before cutting them.
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 Parry's penstemon bloom?
It blooms from late February to early April in the low desert, depending on the weather, with hot pink flowers.
How big does Parry's penstemon get?
The leaves form a rosette about 1 to 2 feet across. In bloom, the flower spikes reach about 3 to 4 feet tall.
When should I plant Parry's penstemon?
Plant it in fall, since fall planting gives you flowers the next spring.
How far apart do I plant Parry's penstemon?
Plant them about 2 to 3 feet apart in soil that drains.
Does Parry's penstemon reseed?
Yes, readily. Leave some flower stalks until the seeds ripen and new plants come up nearby, forming a colony.
Should I cut off the flower stalks?
Cut them when only a couple of flowers are left and it can bloom a second time. Leave some stalks if you want seedlings.
How long does Parry's penstemon live?
It is a short-lived perennial, usually 3 to 5 years. New seedlings take the place of the old plants.
How much water does Parry's penstemon need?
It needs little water once rooted, with some water in the hot, dry months. Too much water or poor drainage can rot the roots.
Does Parry's penstemon need full sun?
It grows in full sun to filtered shade. In too much shade it blooms less and can get powdery mildew.
Do rabbits eat Parry's penstemon?
Rabbits and deer usually leave it alone, so you rarely need to protect it.
How cold hardy is Parry's penstemon?
It is hardy to about 10 to 15°F, so it needs no frost cover in the Valley.
What pests bother Parry's penstemon?
Aphids can show up, and powdery mildew in shade or damp spots. Most problems come from too much water.
Parry's Penstemon for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Parry's Penstemon is a hot pink southern Arizona wildflower. It blooms from late February into April, and hummingbirds are its main visitors. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard: bloom time, size, planting, water, reseeding, pruning and cold.
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Parry's penstemon in Phoenix
Parry's penstemon is native to southern Arizona and blooms hot pink from late February into April. Plant it in fall, in full sun to filtered shade, with soil that drains.
Does Parry's penstemon reseed?
Yes. Let the seeds ripen before you remove the flower stalks, and new plants come up around the old ones. Over time it forms a colony.
Getting a second bloom from penstemon
Cut the flower stalks when just a couple of flowers remain. New spikes can follow in a couple of weeks.
How far apart to plant penstemon
Space plants about 2 to 3 feet apart in full or filtered sun. Each rosette is about 1 to 2 feet across.
Watering Parry's penstemon
It needs little water once rooted, with some water through the hot, dry months. Sandy or gravelly soil that drains helps it live longer.
Best penstemon for hummingbirds
Parry's penstemon is a hummingbird favorite, and hummingbirds are its main pollinator. Bees and butterflies visit as well.
Parry's penstemon vs firecracker penstemon
Parry's has hot pink flowers on taller spikes, 3 to 4 feet. Firecracker has scarlet flowers on shorter stalks and can bloom from January. Both are native to Arizona.
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