Bridges' Penstemon in the landscape
Mikel R. Stevens
Scientfic Name: Penstemon rostriflorusCommon Name: Bridges' Penstemon, Beaked Penstemon, or Mountain Fountains
Description: The plant is a shrub-like evergreen, often clumping, with an average height of about 16 inches; however, it has been found over twice that height. The gray-green leaves with the upper ones being narrow and about 2 inches long and the lower ones oblanceolate. The scarlet red flower, by itself, can be confused with P. barbatus; but, little else is in common with P. barbatus. It is a long lived and long blooming species. In the wild, plants have been found as early June and others in the same area as late as October in bloom.
Native Habitat: Found in dry areas among sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, Gambel oak, ponderosa pine and mahogany communities of California, Nevada, Utah Arizona, and New Mexico (southwestern US).
Cultural Requirement
Soil: Prefers dry gravely soil.
Moisture Tolerance: Low in tolerance to wet feet.
Sun/Shade/Preference: Full sun.
Transplanting: Maintain root ball in tack.
Propagation: Generally seed propagated, which requires 8 weeks of cold moist conditions before germination.
Maintenance (pruning, fertilization, deadheading, division, irrigation, etc): Best grown under low fertility regimes and kept on the dry side. Most common landscape diseases fall into root diseases due to too much soil moisture. Deadheading will most likely encourage additional later blooming.
Landscape Value
Use in the Landscape: Provides humming bird attraction and bright red blossom.
Foliage: Gray-green foliage
Flower: The approximately one inch flowers are beak like hood.
Timing: Generally June to August.
Color: Usually orange red to scarlet red in color; however, orange and yellow variants have been found.
Fruit: Fruiting pods will remain visible for over a year and need to be removed for eye appeal.
Form: Evergreen upright plants usually forming a clump with a woody base.
Texture: Semi shrub with loosely single stems.
Ultimate Size: Usually about 16 inches in height in the wild; however have been seen to over 36 inches in height.
Rate of Growth: Maximum height will be obtained each season; clump diameter will continue to slowly increase each season.
Suggested Plant Partners: Arid loving native grasses, any Buckwheat Pussytoes, and other Penstemon.
Availability: Available at some native plant nurseries and seed can usually be obtained via commercial internet outlets.
Cultivars: None known of presently but one cultivar has been well known in the literature 'Schooley Yellow'.
References:
Cronquist, A., Holmgren, A.H., Holmgren, N.H., Reveal, J.L., and Holmgren, P.K., 1984. Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Vol. 4. New York Botanical Garden Press
Lindgren, D. and Wilde, E., 2003. Growing Penstemons: Species, Cultivars and Hybrids, Haverford, PA.
Lindgren, D.T., 1984. 'Schooley Yellow' Penstemon. HortScience 19:458-458.
Nold, R., 1999. Penstemons. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.