Perennials: Penstemons, 0 by Leftwood

Leftwood wrote:
No penstemon forum please. It would just be another forum on my watch list that rarely is used. And it's a great way to alienate the genus from people who have never heard of it. Tell me honestly, how often do you peruse the forum list and click on a genus name you've never heard of (or even one you do know, but have never gone to the forum)? Brugmansias? Daturas? Amaryllis? . . . .

Penstemon lovers can always use the DG search mode.
My 2¢.
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That pic of P. grandiflorus is the best it's ever been. It grows about 3 feet, and REALLY NEEDS lean soil. In the wild here it grows in pure sand. If the soil is too rich, or it doesn't get full sun, or it is crowded by other plants, stems will tend to follow the ground even though they are easily stiff enough to to hold themselves up. It's easy to grow, but picky in these respects.

Seeds from hybrid penstemon plants will surely not produce like progeny, just as seed from hybrid tomatoes don't. However, there may be some interesting and worthy variants, but I would guess that most would be duds in a beauty contest.

Success in rooting penstemon may be dependent on time of year, as many perennials are.

P. palmeri is fragrant, easily noticed with your nose near the flower, but not overpowering like a lilac. Palmeri needs excellent drainage, full sun, and fairly dry conditions. It is one of the blue foliage species, with succulent type leaves.