Gulf Coast Penstemon

Posted by on April 19, 2009 at 9:50 am.

This is the Gulf Coast Penstemon or sometimes called the Brazos Penstemon.  The scientific name is Penstemon tenuis.  It is a Texas native from the marsh areas.  It does well in standing water and poorly drained soils, but I have also found it to be very drought tolerant.  It is in a part of the yard that used to flood every year and has done quite well with that seasonal flooding where a lot of other plants wouldn’t have made it. I have it in partial shade, but I’m told that it can tolerate full sun.

These pictures were taken just a couple of days ago.  The penstemon will bloom again in the fall and then die back to the ground through the winter and go dormant.  They will also spread by seed if you want more but it hasn’t been very aggressive about it in my yard.  If you don’t want it spreading, just cut the blooms when they are done.  It attracts bees (this is a good thing), butterflies and hummingbirds!

Thanks for this one, Teresa.  I love it!

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