I should also mention that it was 30 years ago when I tried growing western Penstemon and hybrids of western Penstemon. I've learned a lot more about zone pushing and creating micro-climates since then. After vacationing in the southwest, I felt that all the eastern Penstemon were lackluster because they didn't have hot red or hot orange flowers. Now I think that a lot of eastern Penstemon are beautiful in spite of not having bright red colored flowers. I am growing 1 western species, Penstemon richardsonii. I recieved the seeds as a bonus. It has deeply disected leaves. It has flower buds, but it's a miniature size of about 9 inches tall, instead pf 3 feet. It could be due to overwatering. My attraction to hot, red, tubular flowers is no doubt hummingbird related? I still can get hot reds from Standing Cypress, Royal Catchfly, Cardinal Flower,Cupress vine, Drummond's Phlox and Petunia exserta. I should really give Spigelia a try?

Even southeastern species that come from special biomes have failed for me. I've tried the showy Penstemon murrayanus at least 3 times. It always rots in winter.

Some kind of comparatively plain jane, midwestern-derived Penstemon like 'Blackbeard' (or a similar offering from Issima) seems to have finally perennialized in a dry spot in my garden.

20 years ago I grew some Mexican 'cloud forest' type Penstemon from Plant World Seed in Devon, UK, at actually lasted for a few years. I wish I'd made more effect to keep it alive. It looked very 'alpine'...small but showy (and fuzzy) purplish flowers. I kept thinking about reordering it but never got around to doing so.

Just out of curiosity is it the color that makes you want thise penstemons in particular? i have two dark leaved pink- purple varieties that are reliable but not real eyecatching. Huskers Red always had bad dieback and has to be replanted every spring then took weeks to bloom. . Happy to chuck it.