A Pretty Pink Native Plant That'll Turn Your Yard Into A Hummingbird Haven

Turn your yard into a place hummingbirds love to visit. This can come with a lot of benefits, since hummingbirds can cross-pollinate flowers and help control insects. They also provide beauty and entertainment as you watch their fun interactions with each other along with their feeding and watering habits. There are several ways to create a lovely hummingbird haven, like adding a hummingbird swing in the perfect place in your yard.  

However, one way to beautify your lawn and attract more feathered friends is to add easy-to-grow flowers that will bring more of them to your garden. One such flower is the gorgeous bearded penstemon (Penstemon barbatus). Also called the beardlip penstemon, this attractive perennial features lots of red, orange, or pink flowers that attract pollinators like bees and hummingbirds. It thrives in U.S. Hardiness Zones 3 through 10. It's native to Mexico and the southern U.S.

This perennial is a wonderful addition to your garden that you won't have to replant each year. Bearded penstemon blooms in the late spring through summer. It is drought-tolerant and is a lovely choice for rock gardens.  The flower can also be an ideal border plant and does well in containers if you want to bring their bright pink color indoors to enjoy. Some great companion plants for bearded penstemon include lavender and black-eyed Susan,  both of which have similar growing needs as bearded penstemon when it comes to sun and soil.

Bearded penstemon is easy to grow and care for once it is established, making it the perfect choice for newbie and busy gardeners. You can grow it from seed, but be patient, as it is a little on the slow side. It can take up to 21 days to fully germinate.  For best growing results, find a place in the garden that offers at least six to eight hours of sunlight with well-draining soil. This is important, because bearded penstemon doesn't like wet or waterlogged soil. Mulch around the plants (several inches away from the stems, however) to retain moisture and prevent weed growth. Choose pine straw, shredded bark, or compost that doesn't hold water. 

New saplings should be watered daily. However, once it's fully established, it needs very little water — a deep watering every few weeks, or up to once a week during droughts or extremely hot weather. You're very unlikely to need to use any fertilizer for bearded penstemon. However, regularly dividing and replanting the flowers can help them grow bigger, stronger blooms.

Pruning must be done carefully and should happen in late winter or very early spring before the plant starts to grow again for the season — but you can remove spent flowers all summer long. During that time, you can cut the plant back to a height of 4 to 6 inches from the ground. Following these care tips will allow the native bearded penstemon to flourish and help create the hummingbird haven of your dreams. Don't forget to keep birds cool and hydrated by adding a water feature.