Too Early, Then Right on Time

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Early in February I noticed that a year-old Hill Country Penstemon, Penstemon triflorus, decided to send a bloom stalk upwards. There were no blooms, only the promise of pink bells to come, but way too early for this late March/April bloomer, especially given capricious winter weather. This particular individual was certainly eager for spring’s arrival.

The plant itself is hardy throughout the year; an evergreen, ground-hugging rosette being the typical form of this pretty perennial during late summer, autumn, and winter months. Gracing the garden in the height of spring with a cluster of bloom stalks, luscious pink flowers open to the delight of native bees, moths, and gardeners.

This one? A little too early, a bit too restless.

On February 22nd, ahead of a cold spell that would plunge Central Texas to the low 20s for 48 hours or more, I popped a bucket over the tender bloom stalk, then covered the bucket with an old blanket. I had no worries about the plant itself–it shrugs off ice and cold–but a tender bloom stalk is vulnerable to frigid temperatures and I hoped to save this one for its proper show time. I should add that I have seven individual plants and only this character yearned for an early spring, all the others lay green and dormant, biding their time for longer and warmer days.

I’m glad that I took the time to cover the plant, because in just a few week’s time, the stalk grew taller, dotted with lovely, bell-shaped flowers, ready for pollinators and persons to enjoy.

This early-bird penstemon remains the only one blooming, though its kin are ramping up for their pink parade. In the next month, pink bells, fluted and highlighted with stripes, will beckon insects to explore their offerings.

Weirdly, as great as this native Texas perennial is, it’s hard to find in nurseries and I haven’t had any luck seeding it in my gardens. I’m protective of the specimens that I’ve purchased and grown and you can see why.

Spring is here, time to bloom!

19 thoughts on “Too Early, Then Right on Time”

  3. Such a pretty flower. It is very odd that it had a head start to spring.The yellow bucket is very familiar as I had to use them a couple of times this year. We have Gulf Coast penstamon, which is more of a lavendar color. I’m surprised that yours doesn’t reseed. Mine comes up all over.

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    • Yeah, I was really surprised at that. I could blame it on the mild winter, but we’d had some cold whether and this individual was the only one to start up so soon. Who knows what plants think?!

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  4. Success: using the pail as a cover let the early penstemon recover. Do you think your failure in trying to grow this wildflower from seeds means that it requires specific fungi or minerals in the soil? Bill Carr’s Travis County Plant List includes four species of Penstemon, but triflorus isn’t one of them.

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  6. It’s a beautiful plant. At first I was surprised to learn it’s not only a Texas endemic, but endemic to the Edwards Plateau, but then I remembered the extremely limited range of the Texas tauschia. Of course, that makes it seem (to me, anyway) that your local nurseries should carry it. Mysteries!

    Given the few plants you have, all those efforts to protect this one were well worth it — and well rewarded! It is a beautiful thing. I hope you’ve had some good rains. It’s been drizzling here, but we’ve only had a quarter-inch so far. Still, at this point, any rain is good rain; I’m hoping for some good totals over my favorite wildflower spots.

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    • Yes, the Edward Plateau is the home of this beauty. I don’t know how widespread it is, but it’s native range is limited. It works well in my garden, even though I have rather clayey soil. I’m glad that they’re happy here.

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