Bring the beauty of the high desert home with scarlet Penstemon barbatus, blue-purple Penstemon strictus, golden Zinnia grandiflora, and graceful Blue Grama Grass. These native flowering perennials and ornamental grass create a colorful, low-water garden, blooming from late spring through summer and attracting hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
Imagine following a winding sandstone path through brilliant red penstemons, vivid blue flower spikes, and golden daisies, with rugged mesas stretching across the horizon. Native grasses sway between weathered boulders, while silver-green shrubs and sculptural desert plants give the garden a wonderfully natural character. This colorful high-desert planting proves that a water-wise landscape can be anything but dull.
Four North American natives create the display: Penstemon barbatus (Scarlet Bugler), Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon), Zinnia grandiflora (Rocky Mountain Zinnia), and Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama Grass). Their contrasting flowers, low-growing foliage, and airy grass seedheads create a pollinator-friendly garden well suited to sunny sites with good drainage.
Main plants used: Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon strictus, Zinnia grandiflora, and Bouteloua gracilis.
The contrast between red and blue gives this garden its striking personality. Penstemon barbatus produces slender spikes of scarlet tubular flowers from late spring into summer, attracting hummingbirds and adding dramatic vertical accents.
Beside it, Penstemon strictus provides rich blue-purple flowers, generally blooming in late spring to early summer. Its fuller flower spikes create a beautiful contrast with the more open, tubular blooms of Scarlet Bugler.
Closer to the path, Zinnia grandiflora forms low, spreading patches covered with small golden-yellow daisies, typically flowering from summer into early fall. Its compact habit softens the edges of stones and gravel.
Bouteloua gracilis completes the planting with delicate blue-green foliage and distinctive eyelash-like seedheads. This compact native grass brings movement and texture long after the main flowers have faded.
The winding sandstone path, scattered boulders, and open mountain views reinforce the garden’s high-desert character. Repeating the four plants on both sides of the walkway creates a natural rhythm without overcrowding the landscape.
Create a colorful, low-water high-desert garden with red and blue native wildflowers, golden flowering groundcovers, graceful grasses, and a natural sandstone path.
Approximate visual proportions, not exact plant quantities.
Let the winding sandstone path guide visitors through the planting. Position Scarlet Bugler and Rocky Mountain Penstemon in repeated groups through the middle and rear of the beds, alternating red and blue flower spikes. Bring Golden Zinnia toward the path, where its low flowers can spill naturally between rocks. Repeat Blue Grama Grass among the perennials, leaving open gravel areas to emphasize the relaxed high-desert setting.
Late spring brings the blue-purple spikes of Rocky Mountain Penstemon and the scarlet flowers of Scarlet Bugler, with blooming sometimes overlapping into summer. Golden Zinnia takes over through the warmer months, while Blue Grama produces distinctive summer seedheads that turn straw-colored in fall. Flowering times vary with elevation, rainfall, and local conditions.
| Hardiness |
4 - 8 |
|---|---|
| Climate Zones | 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 10, 11 |
| Exposure | Full Sun |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late) |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Soil Type | Chalk, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Neutral, Alkaline |
| Soil Drainage | Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Showy |
| Native Plants | United States, Southwest, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Rocky Mountains |
| Tolerances | Drought, Dry Soil |
| Attracts | Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Birds |
| Landscaping Ideas | Beds And Borders |
| Garden Styles | Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Pollinator Garden, Prairie and Meadow |
| Hardiness |
4 - 8 |
|---|---|
| Climate Zones | 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 10, 11 |
| Exposure | Full Sun |
| Season of Interest | Spring (Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late) |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Water Needs | Low |
| Soil Type | Chalk, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Neutral, Alkaline |
| Soil Drainage | Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Showy |
| Native Plants | United States, Southwest, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Rocky Mountains |
| Tolerances | Drought, Dry Soil |
| Attracts | Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Birds |
| Landscaping Ideas | Beds And Borders |
| Garden Styles | Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Pollinator Garden, Prairie and Meadow |
Recreate this garden. Specify the percentages you would like to have of each plant and input the dimensions of your garden space.We'll give you a shopping list so you know how many plants you need.
| Plant | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
| Penstemon barbatus 'Coccineus' (Beardtongue) | N/A | Buy Plants |
| Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Beardtongue) | N/A | Buy Plants |
| Zinnia grandiflora (Plains Zinnia) | N/A | Buy Plants |
| Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama) | N/A | Buy Plants |
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Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.
Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
Join now and start creating your dream garden!
