Beardtongue (Penstemon Red Rocks®)

Penstemon ‘Red Rocks’ is a hybrid cultivar of Penstemon and therefore doesn’t have a single “native region” in the same way a naturally occurring species would. However, understanding its parentage can give us clues.

* **Penstemon generally:** Penstemons are native to North America, especially the western United States and Mexico.
* **’Red Rocks’ cultivar:** It was bred for improved features such as increased length of bloom time and color, and for increased heat tolerance. While the specific parentage of ‘Red Rocks’ may be proprietary information, it is likely to have been selected or hybridized using parent species or cultivars from the southwestern United States, or regions with similar climates.

Given its name, ‘Red Rocks’, it’s highly suggestive that it was bred with plants that thrive in the red rock desert environments of the southwestern United States, such as Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. These areas are known for their dry conditions, intense sunlight, and alkaline soils, and the cultivars bred from these wild varieties are often chosen for their drought resistance and ability to thrive in similar challenging environments.

**In conclusion, while ‘Red Rocks’ itself isn’t “native” to a specific location, its characteristics strongly suggest that its parentage draws from Penstemon species native to the southwestern United States, especially those adapted to dry, sunny, and rocky conditions.** You would be well served to search for Penstemon varieties native to the Southwestern US for an idea of where its genetics might be derived.