Find a Plant#
© Ernie Marx
smooth penstemon
Penstemon glaber var. alpinus
Fort Collins
- Dimensions
-
Height: 1.5 ft. to 2.0 ft.
Spread: 4.0 in.; to 1.0 ft. - Growth Form
- Herbaceous, Subshrub
- Program Association
- Nature in the City, Xeriscape Incentive Program
- Wildlife Uses
- Hummingbirds, Pollinators/ Invertebrates
- Sun Requirements
- Full Sun, Part Sun
- Water Requirements
- Low
- Plant Community
- Alpine, Foothills, Mountains, Subalpine
- Season of Bloom
- June, July, August
- Flower Color
- Blue Shades, Purple Shades
- Leaf Color
- Blue Shades, Green Shades
- Aggressiveness
- No City Data
- Design Considerations
- Showy Flowers
- Other Considerations
- No City Data
- Duration
- Perennial
- Natural Landscape Position
-
Fort Collins Model
1, 2 - Soil Type
- Variable
- Pests/Disease Prone
- No
- Hazards/Toxic
- No City Data.
Notes
USDA Plants National Database recognizes three varieties of P. glaber, all native to the U.S. Variety glaber is native to the midwestern states, and variety brandegeei is native to Colorado and New Mexico. Variety alpinus is native to Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming and it can also be found in the Fort Collins natural areas. Great for rock gardens.
This is an important larval and adult food host for many of our native invertebrates.