Rock Penstemon

Penstemon baccharifolius

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Rock Penstemon is a perennial native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 1–1.5 ft tall and 2 ft wide. It wants full sun and low water, and handles caliche soil. Blooms red in Apr–Oct. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Good for hummingbirds.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Low woody-based perennial with small leathery leaves and bright coral-red flowers over a long season.

Why it works here

Grows out of a rock crevice with no soil at all. Hummingbirds and the longest bloom of any native penstemon.

Watch out

Absolutely requires drainage. Do not amend the soil; it prefers poverty.

The facts

8 sources

Type: Perennial
Sun: Full sun (6+ hrs)
Water: Low
Height: 1–1.5 ft
Spread: 2 ft
Bloom: Apr–Oct · red
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes caliche · recorded on dry, limestone, rocky, well drained
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Leathery leaves help; flowers still get nipped.
Wildlife: Supports hummingbirds

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau Woodland

10 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

2.5–4.5 inch pots1 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.