I have 2 varieties in the front yard but can't remember the botanical names. One is coral and one is red. The coral one gets kind of woody and bushy so I like the red one better. They do get some afternoon shade starting about 2pm and they've done well.

Yes, they work great as long as you use the right species. Eatonii, parryi and superbus have all performed wonderfully for me here in zone 9. You can easily start from seed in fall if you want to try them out on the cheap.

Thanks everyone. I am so happy to see that it should work. FYI, I am planning to order some different penstemon types through High Country Gardensin October. Luckily, Penstemon varieties are allowed for the front yard in my HOA, which can be pretty restrictive.

oh yes, they are very successful here. mine reseed like crazy and new ones pop up every fall and spring. you should have no problems.

Do you deadhead them or just let the seeds go? Also, do you think they would do well on a north facing wall? I am worried that there will not be enough sun.

A north facing wall will be TOO much sun in summer for most penstemon and too hot, in winter definitely TOO little sun.

I was given some penstemon seeds in a swap a few weeks ago. Though I have a question about sowing the seeds. Should I direct sow in the ground were I will have the plant in the long run, or should I start in a pot, then transfer once it gets bigger?

Thanks for any help on this!

You want a location that provides good sun fall through spring. This allows for much better growth and flowering. I tried one in a spot that was shady in winter and it did not do very well. Sow the seeds right in the ground where you want the plants, they germinate easily and grow much faster in the gound. Sow in fall, October through November. I have seen some of my seedlings flower in their first spring but I think its more common to see just vegatative growth first year and flowers second year and beyond. I let my seedpods dry out on the plant then I either collect them or spread them around to get more seedlings the following year.

Thanks!

Is murmanator still around? (second post above this one)

I am very interested in knowing approximately how much water and how often is it needed to germinate the penstemon seeds (October). And once seeds are definitely germinated, do you water less often?

I'd appreciate an answer from anyone who has knowledge of this as I'm having a hard time bringing seeds through to mature plant...in fact, I'm batting zero. This should be simple, right?

Thanks to all who reply.