Totally tubular native blooms
Many gardeners are familiar with the California native Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Blue Springs.’ It’s beautiful, it’s hardy and it’s a modest enough size to tuck into a variety of places. That species also has a lesser-known variety, ‘Margarita BOP,’ that offers similar colors but has a slightly longer bloom season and can also deal with dry conditions once established. It may surprise some, however, that there is a wealth of other native Penstemons, each with unique charms.
Penstemon pseudospectabilis contrasts the modest size of the heterophyllus varieties with plants that stretch to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Lightly glossy ovate blue-green leaves provide a nice contrast to the vivid pink tubular flowers. This longblooming Southern California native — common name Desert penstemon — loves the dry heat and is a great plant for a sunny, drought-tolerant bed. Flowers appear on tall stems, making for a good architectural element. Deadheading will both prolong flowering and encourage the plant to bush out. A little water is helpful in the beginning, but after that it prefers dryness.
You might be forgiven for mistaking an established Penstemon palmeri for a foxglove. Like that familiar garden denizen, P. palmeri sends up tall flowering spikes massed with flaring tubular pink flowers. The foliage is similar to that of P. pseudospectabilis, but P. palmeri has an added bonus: Its apple blossom-pink flowers exude a sweet grape fragrance. One of the larger penstemons, specimens can get 5 feet tall and bush out to an equal width. This Los Angeles-area native also likes the heat and is very drought tolerant. With its generous size, profuse blooming and delicious scent, this is one outstanding species.
Another Southern California native, Penstemon clevelandii var. connatus (‘San Jacinto Beardtongue’), is a bit rarer but worth finding. Sporting an abundance of 2-inch orchid-pink tubular flowers on multiple vertical spikes, this native starts blooming in May and flowers all the way to September. It’s a versatile species too, adapting to dry or moist soils and to cool or hot conditions. I guess that makes it a “good actor!” It forms a tidy 3-by-3-foot shrub; its grayish foliage stays evergreen; and it’s hardy to 25 degrees.