Rainy Side Gardeners' Featured Book

Penstemons

Penstemon is the largest plant genus endemic to North America, numbering some 270 species.

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Every state in the continental U.S. has at least one native penstemon, demonstrating the extraordinary range of climates to which they are suited. As Panayoti Kelaidis points out in his foreword, this means that "one penstemon or another will thrive in virtually any microclimate a garden can contrive, from hot, desert exposure to dank shade." Since so many are native to arid regions of the West, they are particularly well suited to gardens designed for low water demand. Their palette of flower colors spans almost every imaginable shade of white, pink, yellow, blue, purple, and red, and the habit of the various species differs as well, from woody shrubs to cushion plants, with sizes ranging from giant to dwarf. The book succeeds both in clarifying relationships among the species and in straightening out mistaken identities, covering as well the "sometimes penstemons" and other related genera — Chelone, Chionophila, Keckiella, Nothochelone, and Pennellianthus.

Robert Nold and his wife, Cindy Nelson-Nold, who did the twelve superb botanical illustrations and took many of the photographs, have extensive experience with Penstemon both in the wild and in their own garden, where a collection of more than 200 species penstemons testifies to their devotion to the genus. The author's enthusiasm will persuade that the reader to experiment with a broader range of these versatile plants in the perennial border or in the rock garden.

Penstemons

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