Rydberg's Penstemon (Penstemon rydbergii)
Rydberg's Penstemon is a beautiful wildflower gem with flowers ranging from blue to purple with hints of pink, all growing in whorls of flowers and buds on a single stock. Its range in Oregon and Washington is primarily East of the Cascade Range along seeps, creeks, and wet meadows. From there this beautiful wildflower's range extends to the Montana Rocky Mts. and South from California to New Mexico. Rydberg's Penstemon is a long lived wildflower loved by bees and hummingbirds for the rich nectar and song birds for the seeds!
West of the Cascades it might be the most adaptable Penstemon I have ever grown! As it prefers moist environments in its natural range, it is more tolerant of receiving water in the garden compared to most other Penstemons. In my NW Oregon garden, Rydberg's Penstemon is also pretty drought tolerant. My established plants are mulched heavily in wood chips and live almost entirely on rain water. They only receive supplemental water in the summer before big heatwaves. In hotter regions and scorching full sun locations (like hell-strips) they probably would require more irrigation, but the flower show would be worth it!
Each seed packet contains 100 seeds and germination instructions are included.
Rydberg's Penstemon at a glance
- Ave. growth dimensions - 1-3 feet tall x 3 feet wide
- Dormancy - Winter deciduous
- Plant type - Perennial herb
- Sun - Full sun - part shade
- Water - Moist - dry (drought tolerant, but prefers regular water)
- Flowering time - May - August (sometimes until October!)
- Flower color - Blue & purple
- Soil preference - Adaptable