← Bedfellow

Firecracker Penstemon

Penstemon eatonii

Brilliant scarlet tubular flowers march up tall stems in spring, built for hummingbird pollination. A tough, reliable penstemon for hot, dry, rocky ground across the Southwest. Penstemons can accumulate toxic levels of selenium from seleniferous soils — a real, well-documented poisoning risk (especially to horses) that varies unpredictably by site, not a garden food plant.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

4–4 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

part shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

neutral, alkaline

Bloom

May, June, July, August

Bloom colors

red

Wildlife value

pollinators, hummingbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~8 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border

Native states

AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, UT