Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus is an eye catching many branched sub-shrub with flowers “in all nuances of blue.” So says Lester Rowntree famed for her 1930s solo plant exploration trips into the wilds of California. Rowntree is beloved by many for her writing from a gardener’s perspective about the plants she observed by driving up and down the state in her custom outfitted jalopy. Her objective during these wanderings was to understand California native plants in their habitat for the sake of horticulture and conservation. In the wild, foothill penstemon occurs only in California. Found in hot rocky places in grasslands, chaparral and forest openings in the coastal mountain ranges and the northern Sierra Nevada foothills this alluring plant produces multiple flower spikes typically reaching 18”-24” in height. On some, …
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