I've always considered the Penstemon family to be the royalty of our Western wildflowers. Their beauty and regal presence in bloom are unmatched by few other perennials. With over 300 species to choose from, there is a Penstemon (Beardtongue) for every type of planting; from rock garden to large-scale xeriscapes, there are a lot of great choices. Growing Penstemon is straightforward, as they are extremely resilient (when well matched to their planting site), and are excellent naturalizing plants when encouraged to re-seed themselves. And last but not least, Penstemon's nectar-rich flowers are indispensable to pollinators like bumblebees and hummingbirds.
