Lavender Sapphires Penstemon - 72-Cell Plug Tray

Lavender Sapphires is a bearded penstemon with two-toned flowers: rosy purple at the base of each tube shading to soft blue-violet at the tips. Blooms cover strong stems in early summer on a dense, mid-size plant about 16 to 18 inches tall.

The lance-shaped, dark blue-green leaves stay handsome all season. It is drought tolerant, handles heat and humidity, and is very cold hardy, so it suits sunny borders, rock gardens and naturalized areas. Hummingbirds and bees seek out the flowers.

What it looks like

Slender, upright stems carry many narrow, tubular flowers about an inch long, rosy purple at the base and shading to soft violet-blue at the flared tips, held along the upper half of the stems. Leaves are lance-shaped, smooth and dark blue-green, forming a dense basal clump. The plant forms a full, upright clump about 16 to 18 inches tall and 20 to 24 inches wide. At peak bloom the two-tone spikes create a purple-to-blue haze over the foliage.

Growing it with lavender

This penstemon shares lavender's need for full sun and sharp drainage, and its purple-and-blue spikes bloom alongside the first lavender flowers for a matched pollinator planting.

Care

Plant in full sun in well-drained soil; it tolerates drought once established and does poorly in wet, heavy ground, especially over winter. Hardy in zones 4-8. Cut flower stalks down to the leafy base after bloom to tidy the plant.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Penstemon barbatus
• Flower color: Rosy purple with lavender-blue tips
• Foliage: Dark blue-green
• Growth habit: Full, upright clump
• Mature size: 16–18 in tall × 20–24 in wide
• USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
• Light: full sun
• Bloom start: Early-June
• Peak bloom: Mid-June
• Bloom pattern: Single Flush
• Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
• Pollinator value: Great

Sizes and shipping

One full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.