perennial
Parry's penstemon
Penstemon parryi
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Parry's penstemon is a fast-growing semi-evergreen perennial hardy in zones 7–10. Expect 2–4 ft of height and 1–2 ft of spread; our lists space it 1.5 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part sun with little water once established. Expect pink flowers in February to May. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Desert Southwest. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, the Pacific Northwest and Texas and the South-Central states, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Penstemon parryi
- Plant type
- Perennial, semi evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 7 to 10
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Sandy or gravelly, fast-draining soil.
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft tall × 1–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Feb–May · pink
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, low water
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Penstemon is not on the ASPCA toxic list.
- Native to
- Desert Southwest
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $8–$14 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first spring, then only in extended drought; reseeds in gravel.
- Pruning
- Cut stalks after seed drops.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9, Southwest (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Parry's penstemon, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Autumn sageSalvia greggiishrub · zones 7–11
- Bamboo muhlyMuhlenbergia dumosaornamental grass · zones 9–11
- Mexican bush sageSalvia leucanthaperennial · zones 8–11
- Deer grassMuhlenbergia rigensornamental grass · zones 7–11
- Texas sage (Texas ranger)Leucophyllum frutescensshrub · zones 8–10
- Indian hawthornRhaphiolepis indicashrub · zones 8–11
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Parry's penstemon: same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants