Firecracker penstemon

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light afternoon shade in very hot inland gardens.

Water

Low once established. Water young plants regularly while roots develop, then water deeply only during prolonged dry spells, allowing the soil to dry between waterings.

Soil

Lean, sharply drained sandy, gravelly or rocky soil. Avoid waterlogged clay and heavily enriched beds.

Height

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Scarlet to orange-red tubular flowers in late spring and early summer; flowering may begin earlier in warm climates.

Foliage

Broad, leathery green basal leaves with smaller, opposite leaves along the flowering stems. The basal rosette is evergreen in mild conditions but may lose foliage in cold winters.

Growth

Moderate; usually reaches flowering size within one or two growing seasons.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.3 ft (0.4 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

4. After 3 years

   2 ft (0.6 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level in a sunny, freely draining position.
• Water through the first growing season, letting the surface soil dry between waterings.
• Keep established plants on the dry side; avoid frequent lawn-style irrigation.
• Use a thin gravel mulch rather than moisture-holding mulch against the crown.
• Avoid routine feeding and rich compost, which can produce weak growth and shorten plant life.

Pruning. After flowering, cut spent flower stalks back to the basal foliage, leaving a few if you want seed. In early spring, remove dead leaves and damaged stems without cutting into the living crown.

Late winter

Check that rain drains away from the crown and remove wet debris resting on the rosette.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged foliage and inspect for slug damage around new growth.

Spring

Plant young plants after the soil becomes workable; water them in thoroughly.

Late spring

Enjoy the flowers and avoid feeding or frequent irrigation.

Summer

Cut back spent flower stalks, or let selected stalks ripen seed.

Autumn

Sow fresh seed outdoors in a well-drained pot or seedbed to receive natural winter chilling.

• Plant repeated groups through a gravel garden for strong red accents above low foliage.
• Combine with blue-flowered sages and silver-leaved plants in a dry, sunny border.
• Use among small ornamental grasses for upright flower stems against soft, fine-textured foliage.
• Place on a sunny slope or raised bed where drainage is better than in surrounding ground.

Garden styles it suits: Desert / xeriscape, Dry gravel garden, Southwestern, Desert modern, Wildlife garden and Hot border.

Plant it with: Blue grama, Prairie dropseed, Threadleaf coreopsis, Blanket flower, Russian sage and Sulphur buckwheat.

Wildlife: The tubular red flowers attract hummingbirds in North America and are also visited by some bees. Hummingbirds do not occur naturally in the United Kingdom or Australia.

• Crown and root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised gravel bed; do not irrigate already moist soil.
• Slugs and snails eating young growth: remove hiding places and use wildlife-conscious controls where needed.
• Aphids on flower stems: rinse off small colonies with water and encourage natural predators.
• Flopping or short-lived plants in rich, heavily watered beds: stop feeding, reduce irrigation and provide full sun and leaner soil.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific toxicity information is limited, and no particular poisonous part is established; it is an ornamental plant, not a food plant.

• Scarlet bugler (Penstemon barbatus)

  Usually has narrower leaves and flowers with a conspicuously bent-back lower lip; firecracker penstemon has broader basal leaves and a more nearly tubular flower mouth.

• Pineleaf penstemon (Penstemon pinifolius)

  Forms a low, woody mound with tiny needle-like leaves, unlike the broad-leaved basal clump and taller flower stalks of firecracker penstemon.

The species name eatonii honours American botanist Daniel Cady Eaton, while 'firecracker' refers to the bright red tubular flowers.

Propagation. Grow from seed sown outdoors in autumn, or give seed a period of cold, moist stratification before spring sowing; germination can be uneven. Take non-flowering basal cuttings in late spring or early summer. Established woody crowns are not good candidates for routine division.

Accepted botanical name

Penstemon eatonii

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Measured

Soil pH 7 to 8. Average height 71 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.