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Perennial · Plantaginaceae Draft — unreviewed

Firecracker penstemon

Penstemon eatonii A.Gray

Also called firecracker penstemon.

Hardy native penstemon with scarlet tubular flowers on arching stems in spring; adapted from the high desert to the low desert.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 0.5–0.9 m (1–3 ft) tall and 0.3–0.5 m (1 ft) wide; medium growth, about 3 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #1 install size.

00.511.52mPlanting0.3 × 0.3 mYear 30.5 × 0.3 mYear 100.6 × 0.4 mMature0.7 × 0.4 m

Bloom

Scarlet flowers, Mar–May (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).

Bloom calendar: months each plant is in bloom
PlantJFMAMJJASOND
Firecracker penstemon : Mar–May

Design notes

  • Cut flower stalks to the rosette after bloom.
  • Plant in lean gravelly soil; rich soil shortens its life.

Regions

Native range: Intermountain West and northern Arizona.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

Southwest

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Parry's penstemon
Penstemon parryi · Perennial · 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft)
Husker Red foxglove beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' · Perennial · 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft)
Common yarrow
Achillea millefolium · Perennial · 0.5–0.9 m (1–3 ft)
Sunset hyssop
Agastache rupestris · Perennial · 0.5–0.8 m (1–2 ft)
Butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa · Perennial · 0.5–0.8 m (1–2 ft)
Desert marigold
Baileya multiradiata · Perennial · 0.3–0.5 m (1 ft)

Plan with Firecracker penstemon

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden