Showy, compact, small mat or clump forming perennial with small but gorgeous flowers; vibrant violet and blue to lavender, magenta and purples and red-violet nectar guides. A personal favorite for its size and ease of care.
Found in rocky openings in oak-mahogany-serviceberry, snowberry-sagebrush-bitterbrush-grassland, and less commonly conifer-aspen and lodgepole pine communities. from 4,000 - 10,000 ft. We find humilis and leonardii next to each other often, mostly in rocky sage-steppe with few shrubs taller than the sagebrush. Otherwise humilis generally grows in lower, slightly drier zones often in more of dry-woodland setting than leonardii.
Drought-tolerant, needing nothing more than annual precipitation and found in extremely wide variety of habitats make this a great addition to your xeric garden or native yard and could excel in rock gardens or as a ground cover addition. Not as woody as Leonard's Penstemon but has a similar growth habit except it grows on the ground as a mat rather than slightly elevated. Also blooms a bit earlier in the year.
Full sun to part shade in rocky fast draining soil. Try planting with Mountain Big Sagebrush, Whorled Buckwheat, Leonard's Penstemon and Birch-leaf Mountain Mahogany.
Collected In: Summit County, Utah
Wild or Homegrown: Wild
Germination: 60 days cool-moist(37-41°) stratification. Sow on the surface or up to 1/8" deep then cover with a thin layer of sand. Or sow outdoors late Fall to early Winter in a weed free bed.
