Is Beardlip Penstemon deer resistant?
Penstemon barbatus
Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Not listed by Rutgers NJAES. Rated deer-resistant by El Paso County CSU Extension, whose list is a single category, mapped conservatively to Seldom Severely Damaged.
About Beardlip Penstemon
All the leaves sit in a clump at the bottom and all the interest is three feet up: slender scarlet tubes hanging in a long open cluster above sparsely leaved stems, June right through to October. Browsing deer usually skip it. That gap is what people get wrong. At the front of a border it reads as bare stalks with something red floating above them; pushed back behind low mounding plants that cover the base, it works. The other error is generosity. Rocky, unenriched, dry ground is what it is adapted to, and compost, feed or a moisture-holding mulch heaped round the crown works directly against the drainage it needs. It is usually listed as a part-shade plant but takes full sun through the mountain west. Raise a few from seed each year — germination is best after a cold, moist spell — and a colony that renews itself will outlast any single plant.
Similar to Beardlip Penstemon
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
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Common questions about Beardlip Penstemon
- Is Beardlip Penstemon deer resistant?
- Beardlip Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- Does Beardlip Penstemon grow in shade?
- Yes. Beardlip Penstemon tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Beardlip Penstemon get?
- Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.