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Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen, and in this segment, we're going to talk about penstemon, or beard's
tongue. It's a beautiful plant, and it's originally from Mexico, Texas, and California. So beard's
tongue, or penstemon is a beautiful plant that hummingbirds love, and it's native to
areas of Mexico, Texas, and even into California. So it's really easy to grow, and even in colder
climates because there's many varieties that can handle a lot of frost because they're
from the mountains of Mexico and Texas. When you're growing penstemon, you can start it
as a seed in the spring, and if you live in a really cold climate, even colder, there's
different varieties that are hearty to even zone eight or even to zone six or seven. But
any colder than that, they probably won't make it. So you can treat them as an annual
or bring them inside for the winter. Now, they're easy to divide. They're just a set
of roots -- just like a daisy or something like that. And as long as you've got a stem
and a root, you can cut it right down the middle. You'll have another plant. And the
easiest time to plant them is in the spring or even in the fall, if you live in a warmer
climate like the Pacific Northwest. We can plant them any time of the year. They have
beautiful, frilly flowers that come in bright pinks and bright purples, and my hummingbirds
love the penstemon. They're in there all summer long. They're one of my favorite hummingbird
plants, and they're so easy to grow. I just love them in my garden. They multiply very
quickly, so start with a small plant and before long, you'll have a huge clump. So you do
have to divide them out every few years. But if you're looking for a great plant, easy
plant to grow, full, hot sun, good drainage -- they want lots of water, but they want
to dry out in between. So penstemon are a must for your garden, especially if you want
to attract hummingbirds.