Rydberg's Penstemon (Penstemon rydbergii)

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Botanical name: Penstemon rydbergii • Bloom season: Late spring to summer • Bloom color: Blue-purple • Pollinator value: Food for bumble bees and mason bees

Tight whorls of blue-purple stacked at intervals up short stems, a compact mountain-meadow penstemon rather than a desert one. It stays low enough for the front of a bed, and it holds its shape without flopping. Bumblebees and mason bees are the main visitors, working the tubes from late spring into summer.

Botanical name: Penstemon rydbergii • Bloom season: Late spring to summer • Bloom color: Blue-purple • Pollinator value: Food for bumble bees and mason bees

Tight whorls of blue-purple stacked at intervals up short stems, a compact mountain-meadow penstemon rather than a desert one. It stays low enough for the front of a bed, and it holds its shape without flopping. Bumblebees and mason bees are the main visitors, working the tubes from late spring into summer.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Penstemon rydbergii

Common Name: Rydberg's Penstemon

Native: Native

Native Region: Great Basin; Sierra Nevada; Southern Rocky Mountains; Middle/Central Rockies; Wasatch & Uinta Ranges

Sun: Full Sun to Part Sun

Water: Low

Bloom Time: Late spring to summer

Bloom Color: Blue-purple

Pollinators: Bees; Hummingbirds

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 12" x H 8"-24"

Soil: Well-drained

Pollinator Value: Food for bumble bees and mason bees

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

USDA Zones: 3 to 8

Spread Habit: Clumping; self-sows

Available As: Live plant

Growing Notes

Full sun to partial sun. This penstemon tolerates moister ground than the rest, since it comes from mountain meadows and streamsides rather than gravel washes, so it works in a normal garden bed where desert species would rot. It still wants good drainage. Space about 12 inches apart.

  • Water: Low

  • Sun: Full Sun to Partial Sun

  • Soil: Well-drained; tolerates moister mountain-meadow soil than most penstemons

  • Mature size: 8 to 24 in by 12 in

Maintenance

Leave stems standing over winter and cut back in late spring, keeping about a third. It is more forgiving of water than its relatives but still fails from waterlogged winter soil. Let it self-sow to keep the planting going, since penstemons are short-lived. No fertilizer.