The American Penstemon Society

The cultivation has several categories, each of which is briefly described below.

About Growing Penstemons

Material in this section is primarily for gardeners who are just beginning to grow penstemons.  It features information from the reliable and widely used book, Growing Penstemons: Species, Cultivars and Hybrids and includes recommendations for easy-to-grow penstemons, arranged by region of the United States, Canada and Europe.

Cultivation Information

The opening page of this section is an Index to 31 Tables containing detailed information about growing each penstemon species. This Index is organized by botanical classifications: subgenus, section and subsection. In addition, a Search Box provides the user with the correct classification of any species.
The information contained in the tables was drawn from all the primary resources currently in print. The tables include the following information:

• name of species
• height and color
• popularity and ease of cultivation
• bloom season
• cultivation suggestions including the ideas for display and where the species has been grown successfully outside of its native habitat
• soil, moisture and sun exposure needs
• native habitat and altitude and location
• hardiness

References

This section is under construction. Until it is completed, see the old website here.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Bob McFarlane who had the vision of an updated website and to Louise Parsons, who designed the Society's first website.

Of central importance to the breadth and depth of this Cultivation Section are these authorities on penstemons who generously shared much of their material. They are Ellen Wilde, Dee Strickler, Bob Nold, and Dale Lindgren.

We would also like to acknowledge the authors of additional valuable print sources used for reference. These include Jean Heflin, David Way and Peter James, and Noel Holmgren.

Appreciation is also extended to the numerous authors whose work appears in the Articles Section. Most of these articles first appeared in the The Bulletin of the American Penstemon Society, a rich resource of information dating from the 1960s onward. .

Many photographers whose work appeared on the Internet kindly gave permission to use their pictures.

A special Thank You goes to the Cultivation Expert Panel. These individuals have patiently and graciously provided essential editing for much of the material in this section.

Donald Humphrey
Louise Parsons
Mike Slater
Jim Swayne
Ellen Wilde
Ginny Maffitt