Parry's Penstemon

The first of my many Parry's Penstemon (Penstemon parryi) shrubs bloomed this week, and over the next two months, hummingbirds will gather in abundance, drawn there by these self-seeding perennial wildflowers. P. parryi is native to Arizona and northern Mexico. The flower colors of P. parryi can vary from a hot pink to almost red. I have Parry's, Superb, Firecracker, Desert Surprise, and Rocky Mountain Penstemon plants ready to flower. They provide a variety of flower and foliage colors and shapes. Penstemon easily hybridizes, so identification is difficult among the various shrubs after a couple of years.

Penstemon shrubs are about three feet tall and wide, so when the blooming stops I have a lot of cleanup to do. By that time, millions of seeds will have scattered throughout my garden. If I want the flowers, I have to take the seeds. Before long, these plants will be out of control. Luckily, mature shrubs have extremely shallow roots and just pull right up. Thousands of seedlings are currently growing. Some won't make it, many others will continue to mature and be ready to bloom next year, and even more seeds will remain dormant for a couple of years. The only way to deal with this overgrowth is to have pre-emergent treatment in the areas where wildflowers aren't wanted.