About

Penstemon secundiflorus, commonly known as sidebells penstemon or orchid penstemon, is a species of Penstemon that grows in dry forests, high plains, and scrub lands from Wyoming to Mexico. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that typically grows to a height of 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 in) and has narrow, lance-shaped leaves that are grayish-green in color. The flowers of the sidebells penstemon are tubular in shape and are arranged in a one-sided spike, with the blooms all facing the same direction, and for this reason was named secundiflorus, which means "one-sided flowers". The flowers are most often delicate shades of orchid or lavender. It is sometimes used in xeriscaping, rock gardens, and wildflower meadows, and is well-suited to dry, sunny locations with well-draining soil.

How to grow it

Sidebells penstemon have a reputation of being easy to grow and possessing showy flowers and good looking rosettes of leaves. They are also valued for the many bees and swallowtail butterflies they will attract to a garden. In gardens they form long lived many-stemmed clumps. Their seeds germinate easily after six weeks of cold and moist stratification.

The sidebells penstemon requires a full sun exposure and well draining soils, rocky or gravelly soils are recommended by Colorado State Extension, though in dry areas they are grown in somewhat clay soils. The plants prefer soils that have not been enriched with fertilizers or organic matter, a common attribute of penstemons. Though quite adapted to dry conditions they have difficulty when tightly packed with other plants. They used in rock gardens, xeric plantings, meadow gardens, and other naturalistic garden types.

Where it grows

Penstemon secundiflorus is commonly found growing in rocky, gravelly, and sandy loam soils. Most often they are decomposed granite soils, but occasionally on soils from limestone or sandstone. They mainly grow in scrubby and open forests like Pinon-Juniper-Oak woodlands, Juniper savanna, or open ponderosa-oak woodlands. They also commonly grow in sagebrush grasslands at higher elevations and openings in montane forests. Populations extend outwards onto the plains in some areas of mixed-grass prairie. P. secundiflorus tend to be scattered through its habitat, with two or three plants in each location, rather than forming continuous stands or dense colonies. They are frequently found in roadcuts in their range.

Other Penstemon plants

Firleaf beardtongue · Stemless beardtongue · Sharpleaf penstemon · Los Alamos beardtongue · Alberta beardtongue · White penstemon · White River Beardtongue · Whitemargin beardtongue · Gilia beardtongue · Penstemon angelicus · Siskiyou beardtongue · Broadbeard beardtongue