Almost any garden could benefit from this jewel of a penstemon
Call us pessimists, but we don’t normally hold out much hope for penstemons grown outside of the Mountain West. Whether it’s their resentment of wet winters, or the fungal diseases that plague them in Southern locales, this beautiful perennial always seemed better suited to places with perfect views of the Rockies. So it was quite shocking when the Bejeweled™ series showed up and cultivar after cultivar performed well in gardens along the East Coast and in the South. ‘Rose Rhinestones’ is the latest introduction to this group, and for two years it has stood up to humid summers and soggy winters without skipping a beat. The blue-green foliage looks good all year, and the rosy-pink, tubular blooms are a favorite of energetic hummingbirds. If you’ve tried and failed with penstemons in the past, it’s time to try again.
‘Rose Rhinestones’ bearded penstemon
Penstemon barbatus ‘Rose Rhinestones’
Zones: 4–8
Size: 14 to 18 inches tall and 20 to 24 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun; average, fertile soil
Native range: Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico
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Stacie Crooks is a landscape designer in Seattle and also a contributing editor.