Is Rocky Mountain Penstemon deer resistant?
Penstemon strictus
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 Rocky Mountain Penstemon
The easy one. Glossy narrow leaves in an evergreen mat, blue-violet spikes in late spring, and a tolerance of heavy soil and moisture that the rest of the genus lacks. Deer tend to leave it alone. Crowd it and it mildews. Packed in among other perennials the lower leaves grey over with powdery mildew and the mat thins from the middle outwards, which is how most people lose it. Air is the whole fix: a clear foot around each plant, taller neighbours kept off it, and water put on the ground rather than over the leaves. Its tolerance of clay is tolerance, not preference - it still does better in dry, light, well-drained soil. 'Bandera' is the long-standing seed release, raised from a collection made in Torrance County, New Mexico, and it is one of only two penstemon releases credited with any forage value, which is worth knowing where browsing is heavy.
Similar to Rocky Mountain 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
Where Rocky Mountain Penstemon grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Coloradonative
- Californianative
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyomingnative
- Idaho
- Utahnative
- Nevada
- Arizonanative
- New Mexiconative
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 6 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Rocky Mountain Penstemon belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Rocky Mountain Penstemon
- Is Rocky Mountain Penstemon deer resistant?
- Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Rocky Mountain Penstemon grow in?
- Rocky Mountain Penstemon is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Rocky Mountain Penstemon grow in shade?
- Yes. Rocky Mountain Penstemon tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Rocky Mountain Penstemon get?
- Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.