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Products > Penstemon heterophylla 'Margarita BOP'   Penstemon heterophylla 'Margarita BOP' - Blue Bedder   [2nd Image] Habit and Cultural Information Category: Perennial Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figworts) Origin: California (U.S.A.) Evergreen: Yes Flower Color: Blue Violet Bloomtime: Spring/Summer Height: 1-3 feet Width: 1-2 feet Exposure: Full Sun Drought Tolerant: Yes Irrigation Req.: Low Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 0-10° F Penstemon heterophylla 'Margarita BOP' (Blue Bedder) - A sub shrub/perennial to 2 feet tall with an equal spread that has glabrous linear deep green leaves. Flowering commences in late spring and early summer with yellow-tinged buds opening to bright blue flowers that have a rose-purple tinge and eventually fade to purple. Drought and heat tolerant and best cultivated in warm, sunny, well-drained sites. Hardy to 10 F. in California. This selection from Bert Wilson of Las Pilitas Nursery is noted for its tolerance of a wide range of garden conditions. Most people note that this cultivar is longer lived than other cultivars of this species. Las Pilitas Nursery says that this " seedling that came up sometime in the early 1980's. Every year it would flower and be gorgeous clear sky blue, fading to purple. We've never watered it nor maintained it. Every year we talked about how beautiful, neat, clean it was. The bicycles, skateboards and dogs have run over it tens of times but it still looks good at the bottom off the porch. The straight species lasts 5-10 years here this plant still looks young after 7-10 years. This plant will 'key' to P. heterophyllus but we believe it is a second generation hybrid with P. laetus." The name 'Margarita BOP' is in combination of "Margarita" in reference to Santa Margarita where Las Pilitas Nursery is located and the acronym BOP for "Back Of Porch", where the chance seedling was discovered.  The description above is based on our research and observations of this plant growing in our nursery and in our own and other Santa Barbara gardens. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who has additional information or disagrees with what we have written.     [MORE INFO]