Meet the Parry’s Beardtongue
Parry’s Beardtongue | Penstemon parryi
How do you know it’s me?:
I am a small-medium herbaceous perennial.
My flowers are pink and tubular. They bloom at the ends of my long stems.
I have opposite leaves that are semi-connected in pairs along the stem. Each leaf is long and lance-shaped. They have a blue-green color and non-glossy, almost powdery look.
My stems match my leaves in color, but transition to reddish towards the tips.
How big do I grow?: 2’ - 5’ height and 1’ - 2’ spread.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Full sun.
Where I prefer to put my roots: Dry, rocky or sandy, well-drained soils.
Hardiness: Zone 8-10
Original home: I am native to Arizona and Northern Mexico, specifically the Sonoran desert.
Colors: Pink, sometimes white flowers.
When I bloom: March and April.
Wildlife friends: Like many tube-flowered plants, hummingbirds love my nectar.
Flora Fun Facts: I grow naturally in mountain canyons, desert washes, and grassland slopes in the Sonoran desert.
More Info: The grey-green leaves and tinkling pink flowers of this desert Penstemon have a succulent look, right at home among other desert friends. The tall stems bring the blooms skyward, while many other herbaceous flowering plants in this region cling closer to the ground.
A member of the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) Family.
In the wild, this plant flowers in its second year, but can bloom its first year when cultivated / planted in autumn.
Also called Parry’s Penstemon, or Desert Penstemon.
A great choice for a dry garden, butterfly garden, or native planting (in a desert climate). This plant needs occasional watering, but is easily susceptible to over-watering.
Named for Charles C. Parry, a surgeon and a botanist/naturalist who worked on the Mexican Boundary Survey in the mid 1800s.
