PlantFiles: Beardtongue, Beard Tongue, Scarlet Bugler
Penstemon barbatus 'Coccineus'

I purchased this plant from the local nursery in the spring of 2007 and planted it in a large plastic pot (which is thickly insulated), and kept it on my west/southwest facing patio. No blooms in 2007, but nice foliage less than a foot tall. But in the spring of 2008...the plant took off! Loaded with blooms and about 3' tall. Stems very sturdy until mid-summer, then I had to add support to keep the plant upright for the hummers doing acrobatics in their attempts to get to all the red trumpet flowers loaded with nectar. As the blooms faded I collected seeds, then separated the plants and planted them in a raised bed. The only reason I moved them from the pot was because I feared they would become root bound. About a month after they had settled in the flower bed, a few flower stalks shot up! In January 2009 I'm going to scatter some of the seeds in the raised bed (so they can stratify naturally), and see what the spring brings! Post Script: The tag from my nursery reads: Penstemon Barbatus 'Coccineus' (Jingle Bells) Breadtongue, grows to 36", zones 4/5. When I did a search on this website, this is the page I was directed to, and my plants look exactly like the picture Gabrielle posted. If I can find my own pics, I'll post a few.

'Jingle Bells' has pretty flowers, but is terrible about flopping. I like having it for variety's sake, but it is not my favorite. It does help to fill in an area and make it look lush even in hot, dry weather.

My information says it is hardy in zones 2-11. It should not be planted in soil that is too rich.

Bought a couple of these (in gallon pots) ab.four years ago... they flowered the first year, but not since. The plants have spread or multiplied until they fill a 3'x4' slightly raised bed where they look lovely: GREEN ALL YEAR, about 4" tall and so thick no weeds grow, and no sign of a flower. I see the seeds need cold to germinate but I also think the plants need cold to BLOOM. This is Sunset 23, USDA 10a (?); we get maybe 2-6 light morning frosts per winter. FWIW, they're keepers for the job they do as living mulch for the dwarf apricot tree they're under. -- E.

A lovely penstemon with tubular, scarlet flowers born on 3-foot stems. A favorite for the hummingbirds. It prefers full sun and a well drained soil. Seed must be given several weeks of cold temperatures for germination.