Palmer’s Penstemon-

Penstemon palmerii

Palmer’s Penstemon (Penstemon palmerii) is a beautiful perennial with a low water requirement and prefers poor, well draining soil.   These attributes make it a fantastic choice for most re-vegetation and xeric garden projects.  Not only is it easy to grow, but it is also becoming more and more available as more garden centers are carrying it.  Look for it next time you are at your local nursery!

The Penstemons are also called Beardtongues because of the fuzzy appendage that sticks out at the bottom of the flower mouth. This structure is actually a stamen, one of the parts of the male half of the flower that bears the pollen. This particular one, lacks the pollen producing organ, the anther, so is sterile and acts to push pollinators up into the female pollen receptor, the stigmatic surface on the style.