UTAH PENSTEMON

Penstemon utahensis

Utah penstemon is one of the first penstemons to flower in the garden each spring, and its bright neon pink blossoms are a cheerful sight in early May. Native to the shale badlands of the Colorado Plateau, this plant prefers lean soils and minimal water. A relatively small penstemon with narrow, waxy green leaves, it has great impact in a garden setting because of its dense spikes of brilliant flowers. It looks exceptionally beautiful planted with early-flowering blue penstemons like hotpot or thickleaf penstemon, and also combines well with sundancer daisy, silver daisy, and gooseberryleaf globemallow. Utah penstemon is a favorite with hummingbirds, and is also visited by the hummingbird-like sphinx moths and other interesting native insect pollinators. It is a good plant for more formal settings because it can be relatively long-lived and rarely self-sows.