Penstemon—Figwort Family

There are 47 species and subspecies of Penstemon native to New Mexico. There are dwarf spreading ground cover plants and ones with flower stalks reaching five feet tall. A number of them are easy to grow and all are drought tolerant. All penstemons attract pollinators and hummingbirds. In recent years Penstemons have become a beautiful addition to our Xeric gardens. You can find them in local nurseries and on the internet.

They have been sowed along the interstate. There are some red penstemons growing at Acoma and I-40 exit and some years at Continental Divide. These are probably Firecracker Penstemon. Another spectacular Penstemon seen south of Grants along I-40 with big clumps of pink flowers is Penstemon Palmari, also known as Wild Pink Snapdragon. Rocky Mountain Penstemon grows in the lower altitudes of Mt. Taylor and along roadsides and meadows of the Zuni Mountains.

Penstemon strictus, Rocky Mountain Penstemon is the easiest penstemon to grow. If you have never grown any penstemons, start with this one. If you have a few, a drift of them is better. They bloom in late May and June with clumps of purple/blue flowers on stalks 12 to 18” tall. When done blooming, cut off the stalks and what remains is a mat of foliage that stays green even in winter. Another easy penstemon is Penstemon barbatus, Scarlet Bugler. Hummingbirds love all the penstemons but this is a favorite. The flowers are red or orange/red on a stalk that is four and five feet tall and blooms all summer long. I started mine along an irrigation drip line but within a few years they decided to expand their horizon by selfseeding in my outer area that just gets rainfall. Because they are so tall, unless they are growing where I need to walk, they dot my Xeric area of the yard with their presence.

All Penstemons require lean, well-draining soil. Do not add fertilizer or compost. If you wish to grow them from seed, one to two stalks are all you need to sprinkle their seeds (once they are dry) in the area you wish them to grow. Mix in some gravel, if the soil is too heavy. One caveat – pick an area where the wind doesn’t scour the ground clean. The seeds will sprout in the spring so mark the area.

Pick the location to plant them by imitating where they grow in the wild. If growing in highelevations pick a place with partial sun and a drip system. Low-elevation plants tolerate more sun and less water. Do water all your plants until they are well established, which can take a full year, especially if we have some long, dry spells. Fine gravel or rocks around the plant keep the roots cooler.

Edith Iwan is a Cibola-McKinley County Master Gardener who lives and works in Thoreau. As a Master Gardener she assists the County Cooperative Extension Service in providing accurate, research-based gardening information to county residents. If you have any gardening questions, please call the NMSU Cibola County Extension at 505-287-9266 or NMSU McKinley County Extension at 505-863-3432