Penstemon parryi
Parry’s Penstemon
Family: Plantaginaceae
Perennial plants (sometimes act as annuals) growing about 1.5’ high and about a foot wide. But these plants reseed more than any other penstemon and form colonies. This penstemon blooms more en masse than any other penstemon. As a consequence, they tend to not live as long as the other species, but make up for it in producing new seedlings. The flowers are hot pink, bloom in early spring and are usually done by late spring.
This is the most famous Penstemon species in the trade. It is also the best at naturalizing. Sometimes they form such dense colonies that entire yards are glowing with them in spring, which is truly spectacular.
Grow in full to part sun, moderate water with good drainage, hardy to 10° F. Cut back as needed. Because of the intensity of blooming and seeding in spring, baby plants through their first summer—make sure they are consistently watered (as long as they have good drainage). In the following years the plants should be much easier to keep happy.
Loved by hummingbirds and they are the primary pollinator. Other pollinators use this species for nectar. Larval hosts for many moths and butterflies including the following:
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
Dark Buckeye (Junonia nigrosuffusa)
Anicia checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia ssp. hermosa)
Arachne Checkerspot (Poladryas arachne)
Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)
owlet moths (family Noctuidae)
geometrid moths (family Geometridae)
hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe)
Many sources mistakenly translate the Latin name Penstemon as meaning “five stamens”, but this is incorrect. The “pen” in Penstemon doesn’t come from penta (five) but from the Latin paene meaning “nearly” or “almost”, while stemon is derived from Greek for “thread”. “Nearly a thread” is a reference to the staminode, which is almost a functional stamen. The species name parryi is named for Dr. Christopher Parry (1823-1890) an English-born, American botanist.
Found on hillsides, outwash slopes, and along canyons from 1,500-5,000 ft. mostly from Arizona, south into Sonora, but spilling over into adjacent states.