Penstemon eatonii (Firecracker Penstemon)

Penstemon eatonii (Firecracker Penstemon) is a showy perennial with several sprawling to erect stems boasting 5 to 10 brilliant red tubular flowers in late spring through late summer. These desert flowers attract bees, wasps, hummingbirds and other pollinating insects. They rise above a basal foliage of lance-shaped, leathery green leaves. The fibrous root system and wide canopy cover make it a good plant for water-wise landscaping, rock gardens, desert gardens, and other ornamental plantings. Adding lovely vertical lines in the landscape, Firecracker Penstemon is also used in restoration and wildlife enhancement projects. Firecracker Penstemon was used by Native Americans for the treatment of spider bites, stomach troubles, to reduce bleeding, backache, snakebite, as a veterinary aid, and for healing of burns.

• Grows up to 1-3 ft. tall and wide (30-90 cm).
• 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.
• Provides a bold impact in beds and borders, cottage gardens, rock gardens or in prairie plantings. Great for naturalistic planting schemes.
• No serious pest or disease issues. Deer resistant.
• Propagate by stratified seed or root division.
• Native to the Western United States, especially the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and Mojave Desert. Its range spans California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, where it thrives on rocky slopes, desert canyons, sagebrush flats, and open pinyon–juniper woodlands, flourishing in dry, high-sun, well-drained habitats.