Five to ten long, narrow, tubular blossoms top each of the numerous 2 ft. high stems. Leaves are tough, leathery, and deep green, arranged in pairs along the coarse, purplish stems. Penstemon eatonii attracts hummingbirds to its tubular red flowers.
Performs best in full sun to part shade in rocky, loams, sandy loams, gravelly loams, well-drained to moderately well-drained soils. It does not grow well in areas with poor drainage. Drought tolerant once established. Penstemons need very little water and barely any fertilizer.
A very hardy plant tolerates temperatures well below 0° F and is useful in USDA zones 4 and above. This is a nice plant for naturalizing in a unirrigated hot area where its bight flowers can be enjoyed and attract hummingbirds yet it is not browsed by deer or rabbit.
Although Penstemon is not listed on the ASPA guide to toxic and non-toxic plants,there is information online that Penstemon does accumulate Selenium and additional information that an excess of Selenium is not healthy for pets.