The Unknown Penstemon

In the summer of 2007 I was looking at the wild flowers along the Cal Valley. There are five different penstemons along that road. Penstemon humulis, eatonii, tidestromi, comarrhenus, and one unknown. I collected seed from a penstemon that I didn't know. They were planted in the late fall of the same year. I plant my seeds in a 1020 germination tray in the early winter of each year. They are placed in a cold frame for the winter. the doors are screened to keep the birds out. I have to water them once a week during the winter. Then I have to blow the water out of the lines to keep them from freezing. I didn't notice any germination of the unknown penstemon last spring and summer. I was looking at last year's trays and discovered that the unknown penstemon was germinating, and there were five plants from last year that were growing quite large. There were numerous seedlings that had emerged this spring. I transplanted the five into gallon pots and put the tray back on the bench to wait for more transplanting. When the five bloom this spring, I will be able to identify them. I think that they are humulis, but we will see. The picture is of the repotted penstemon. It is suffering a little from the stress of transplanting. I will be showing its progress with a weekly picture.

Penstemon eatonii FIRECRACKER PENSTEMON

This penstemon grows in well drained gravel soil. There are five different penstemons that grow in this area. They were very attractive during the summer of 2008 because of the higher than normal snow fall the previous winter. There were more populations of this penstemon than any of the other five. It does well in the landscape, but is somewhat short lived. In my garden it has reseeded itself. It grows upto two feet high and about 18 inches wide. Butterflies and humming birds love it.

Sphaeralcea coccinea SCARLET GLOBE MALLOW

This mallow is only about eight inches tall. There are some colonies of plants that are quite large. A single plant looks pretty lonely. They are very drought tolerant and usually are the first mallows to bloom in the spring. The smaller picture is a close-up.

Sphaeralcea munroana MONROE GLOBE MALLOW

The Monroe Globe Mallow blooms in the Spring. This grows mostly just below the juniper/pinion area. During a wet spring large plantings are visible. There are some that are only 8 to 10 inches tall and some grow to 30 inches tall. They will do well in a landscape with a monthly watering. They will bloom again if they are cut down. I have seen them grazed in the western Utah desert They are easily reseeded. I have some in my desert landscape and I thin the some each year. There is not enough water from the sky if they grow to thick.

Rough Mules Ear

The Rough Mules ear grows in the south east quarter of the state of Utah. It has these beautiful yellow flowers. These photos were taken in Arches National Monument near Moab, Utah. Another one of the plants that grow without much rain fall. These were growing in sandy soil. There are nearly 4,000 different native plants and trees in Utah.