Three long-blooming natives and one not

Penstemon petiolatus (photographed October 25, 2024)

My friends who work at nurseries have regaled me with the crazy things they're asked, one of the commonest of which is "do you have a perennial that blooms all summer?". We who love perennials are the first to admit that MOST perennials are usually only good for a few weeks in spring--or perhaps a tad longer if they're summer or autumn bloomers. If you insist on perpetual flowers, you'd better stick to annuals, I'm afraid, EXCEPT...there are a number of perennials that do (sort of) fit the bill. Three natives (and one not) I am particularly enchanted with are featured in this post. Penstemon petiolatus is pretty much to restricted to limestone cliffs in a hundred mile or so radius of Los Vegas, Nevada. You better have a rock garden--or better yet a crevice garden--if you want to grow this beauty.                          

(same, October 7, 2024)

Notice it's growing on granite in my garden: not too fussy obviously!

Same plant, taken June 25 of 2024

Rapidly becoming my favorite penstemon...(at least one of the top 100!)

September 16. 2022

Is that not cuter than a button? 

Penstemon richardsonii June 16, 2024

I recall seeing this for the first time in Eastern Washington: in full bloom on a hot basaltic cliff in August. Few penstemons have such protracted bloom--nor are as long lived provided you give them a hot spot where they don't get too wet ever. This plant in my garden still has a few flowers in November...after hard frost!

P. richardsonii September 9, 2012

For the sake of honesty, I must confess I took this at Yampa River Botanic Park. note that it's thriving in a Ski resort at almost 7000'! Why this plant--so abundant in the interior Pacific Northwest--which produces an incredible amount of seed is not in every rock garden and xeriscape is beyond me. I contributed a boatload of seed to this year's NARGS exchange from my plants...

Gilia subnuda, May, 26 2024

Possibly my favorite plant of 2024: I was gifted several specimens of this gilia which is endemic to Canyonlands by Ross Breyfogle, an extraordinarily talented propagator and gardener in Denver. I grew this ages ago at my Eudora garden (over 30 years ago) where it behaved as a biennial. To my shock and utter delight, one of the seedlings Ross gave me has produced side rosettes (see below). It has been in shocking red flowering from May and STILL HAS A SHEAF OF SCARLET GLORY IN NOVEMBER...I contributed seed of this to NARGS seed exchange ..let's hope we can evolve a perennial strain of this incredible native gem (that's virtually unknown in horticulture!)

October 10, 2024

October 10, 2024

October 10, 2024

I have to admit that it may need the conditions of s sunny crevice garden to grow well in cultivation: a good reason to buy Kenton Seth and Paul Sprigg's now classic tome: Crevice Gardening! Assuming you haven't done so already. 

Campanula incurva July 13, 2013

I have noticed this Greek gem showing up in more and more sophisticated gardens in the Denver area (and elsewhere): like a Canterbury bells gone ballistic--it is usually regarded as an obligate monocarp. Biennials and monocarps often produce perennial side shoots in Colorado. I regard this as a short lived perennial most of the time in my garden (perhaps it's evolving into a perennial for me?) It can begin to bloom as early as May in hot spots, and still has a few flowers in my garden lingering in November--a champion of long season bloom.

October 7, 2024

Fortunately, it self sows moderately: I don't have to sow seed every year and I'm confident it will persist indefinitely in my garden.