Palmer's Penstemon Seeds (Penstemon palmeri)

from $4.00

Botanical name: Penstemon palmeri‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Late spring to summer ‍ • Bloom color: Pale pink and fragrant ‍ • Pollinator value: Large open tubes built for big bumble bees

Seeds of the tallest and most fragrant penstemon, and the practical way to establish the drift that shows this plant at its best. Because it is short-lived (usually 3-7 years), a stand grown from seed and allowed to self-sow will outlast a few purchased plants by years. Expect big pale pink bells on five-foot spires, worked heavily by bumblebees.

Botanical name: Penstemon palmeri‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Late spring to summer ‍ • Bloom color: Pale pink and fragrant ‍ • Pollinator value: Large open tubes built for big bumble bees

Seeds of the tallest and most fragrant penstemon, and the practical way to establish the drift that shows this plant at its best. Because it is short-lived (usually 3-7 years), a stand grown from seed and allowed to self-sow will outlast a few purchased plants by years. Expect big pale pink bells on five-foot spires, worked heavily by bumblebees.

Size:

Sowing and Growing Notes

The Palmer’s Penstemon seed needs cold, moist stratification, so sow outdoors in late fall and let a Northern Nevada winter do the work. For a spring sowing, refrigerate the seed in damp sand for about six weeks first. Sow onto lean, gravelly, sharply drained ground in full sun and cover very lightly. Do not sow into an irrigated bed.

  • Water: Low

  • Sun: Full Sun

  • Soil: Sharply drained; lean, gravelly, alkaline soil

  • Mature size: W 18"-24" x H 3'-5'

Maintenance

Expect a rosette the first year and flowers the second. Once up, no summer water, no fertilizer, and leave the stems standing over winter before cutting back in late spring. Let it drop seed so the plant can renew itself.