Penstemon barbatus is also known as Scarlet Bugler, but I like to call it the shark's head penstemon. When I was first starting to familiarize myself with the native penstemons, one of the books described the flowers P. barbatus as looking like a shark's head in profile. I immediately went out to look at mine, and sure enough, the fully open flowers did indeed look like a sharks head, complete with fins hanging below.
There are many cultivars of this easy-to-grow penstemon, ranging in color and size, but the cultivated varieties reportedly require moist soil. I like the natural form anyway, which in my garden grows to 6 feet or more tall, even in the unirrigated parts. It self-sows with abandon, so this year I have relegated it to the wilder unirrigated areas, where it only grows 2-3 feet tall. The flowers are still extremely charming, and eye-catching even from a distance. The hummingbirds would agree.
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