Native Plants

Second in a Series
Getting to Know Native Plants

Penstemon heterophylla Margarita BOP
Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figworts)
California Native

Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’ is a tidy perennial which looks like candy tuft when not in flower and stays attractive year round. Penstemon Margarita BOP is a hybrid between Penstemon heterophyllus and Penstemon Laetus, and was a seedling which appeared in the early 1980’s. The ‘BOP’ stands for ‘Bottom of Porch’ which is where it was first discovered and later introduced by La Pilatas Nursery.
It is an evergreen with smooth linear deep green leaves and grows 1-3 feet high and 1-2 wide. It likes full sun and is drought tolerant. It is hardy to 10 F. in CA.
Flowering commences in late spring and early summer with yellow tinged buds opening to bright blue flowers fading to purple.
The seeds are fertile and will come back as Penstemon heterophyllus.

Propagate from cuttings. I have grown multiple cuttings from Margarita BOP taken during a cutting workshop last March at Theodore Payne Native Plant Nursery in Sun Valley. They have all grown well and I am about to pot them up to 1 gallon.

Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’ is an L.A. Arboretum All-Star plant currently being trialed at Theodore Payne who call it one of their best sellers.
This plant attracts birds, butterflies and bees and is also suitable for growing in containers.

Fall is the time to begin planting native plants, they respond in a much better fashion to planting at this time of year.

Margaret Strachan, CGCI chairman for Backyard Habitat.

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