With some 270 species, Penstemon is the largest genus endemic to North America, with examples to be found in every state in the continental U.S. Penstemons are particularly beloved by rock gardeners, but as Panayoti Kelaidis points out in his foreword, they belong in every garden, since "one penstemon or another will thrive in virtually any microclimate a garden can contrive, from hot, desert exposures to dank shade."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
... for anyone interested in Penstemonthe most complete, one-stop source of information on penstemon gardening that is currently available. -- Dale T. Lindgren, Rock Garden Quarterly, Winter 2000
... of great value to any student of the genus, botanical or horticultural, and essential for any botanical or horticultural library. -- Choice, April 2000
A fascinating treatise of major topics offering the gardener ready help in growing what... is an easily grown beauty. -- Jan Hale Barbo, The New Mexican, April 2, 2000
Nold's enthusiasm for penstemons is so strong that the reader will be tempted to try these plants... -- Joanne Carpender, National Council of State Garden Clubs, March 2000
Nolds dual perspectives, botany and horticulture, have merged into a beautifully written book about a genus he clearly loves, Penstemon. -- Judy Mielke, The American Gardener, March 2000
Usefully illustrated with wonderful botanical watercolours and with photographs which show the plants in their natural (and often unlikely) conditions. -- Gardens Illustrated, August/September 2000
... of great value to any student of the genus, botanical or horticultural, and essential for any botanical or horticultural library. -- Choice, April 2000
A fascinating treatise of major topics offering the gardener ready help in growing what... is an easily grown beauty. -- Jan Hale Barbo, The New Mexican, April 2, 2000
Nold's enthusiasm for penstemons is so strong that the reader will be tempted to try these plants... -- Joanne Carpender, National Council of State Garden Clubs, March 2000
Nolds dual perspectives, botany and horticulture, have merged into a beautifully written book about a genus he clearly loves, Penstemon. -- Judy Mielke, The American Gardener, March 2000
Usefully illustrated with wonderful botanical watercolours and with photographs which show the plants in their natural (and often unlikely) conditions. -- Gardens Illustrated, August/September 2000
Book Description
Particularly beloved by rock gardeners, penstemons belong in every garden. The author provides useful cultural information based on practical experience.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not very useful for general horticultural purposes,
By
This review is from: Penstemons (Hardcover)
This book is of great merit for some potential readers, but is not useful for the majority of gardeners, for a number of reasons:
1) The bulk of the book is textual and technical species descriptions, useful only for botanists and those aiming to collect from the wild. 2) The photos are a very limited selection compared to the above and they are inconveniently placed in two "plates" sections in the middle of the book (an understandable decision as it keeps production costs down). 3) The species descriptions and especially the photos are very heavily focused on the Western semi-desert, mountainous and scree-living species. That may reflect the reality of the Penstemon's origins, but I think many, if not most potential purchasers of a book on Penstemons would be interested in more coverage of plants useful in a conventional garden scheme. But such plants and their cultural requirements take up maybe 5% of this book. In short, if you are a Western-highland gardener looking for species xeriscape plants, this book will prove useful. If you are a botanist, or if you aim to collect, breed and hybridize Penstemons, then this book is of even greater value. But if you want to add Penstemons to a more conventional garden scheme, then it is close to useless.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very heavy on the botany...,
By NancyR "nancyr" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Penstemons (Hardcover)
VERY heavy on the botany and botanical terms; not enough practical advice on growing each of the mentioned species in a garden setting. This is really something of a botanist's guide to penstemons, NOT necessarily a gardening guide, and definitely NOT for beginners. Unfortunately, the book also can't really be used as a field guide either since it doesn't contain enough photos or illustrations to help with identification of penstemons (at least for non-botanists).While the photos and paintings that are included are beautiful, I really wanted to see photos of all or most of the species mentioned because I expected to use this as an aide in identifying penstemons. More photos, especially of common species that I would have expected to be included, would have greatly enhanced this book. And making the book less botanist-oriented would probably have helped with its popularity and usefulness to the general gardening public. This book DOES describe each of the different species (in mostly technical botanical terms) and sometimes gives an overall idea of where they grow in nature (and occasionally, how to grow them in the garden). But the descriptions are not meant for the average person and are not very helpful when trying to identify specific plants. There still is no one good book for the average person that describes each species, gives growing tips, and offers enough photos/illustrations for identifying penstemons...
7 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An indispensable guide and reference for gardeners.,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Penstemons (Hardcover)
Packed with color photos and botanical illustrations is this intriguing guide to penstemons, outlining a wide range of species both common and rare. Enjoy a range of choices which can be used in both dry and marshy gardens across the country, concluded by a mail order source guide.
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The genus Penstemon Mitchell (Scrophulariaceae) is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America, with some 270 species, depending on which authority is consulted, native to every state in the continental United States, many provinces of Canada, most states in Mexico, and Guatemala (this is, admittedly, stretching the concept of "North America" just a bit). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
glabrous staminode, secund inflorescence, bearded staminode, bedding penstemons, darker guidelines, exserted staminode, interrupted inflorescence, staminode bearded, dry rock garden, dryland garden, glabrous foliage, oblanceolate basal, glandular inflorescence, penstemon species, most penstemons, red corolla, anthers opening, golden wool, hence the specific name, corolla blue, sagebrush communities, anthers dehisce, corolla lobes, anther sacs, entire leaves Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Mexico, Pennell Penstemon, Keck Penstemon, United States, Holmgren Penstemon, Sierra Nevada, British Columbia, North America, Rocky Mountains, Gray Penstemon, Cascade Range, Great Plains, American Penstemon Society, Baja California, Late May, Straw Penstemon, Cronquist Penstemon, Nelson Penstemon, Crosswhite Penstemon, Rydberg Penstemon, Great Basin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bentham Penstemon, Greene Penstemon New!
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The genus Penstemon Mitchell (Scrophulariaceae) is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America, with some 270 species, depending on which authority is consulted, native to every state in the continental United States, many provinces of Canada, most states in Mexico, and Guatemala (this is, admittedly, stretching the concept of "North America" just a bit). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
glabrous staminode, secund inflorescence, bearded staminode, bedding penstemons, darker guidelines, exserted staminode, interrupted inflorescence, staminode bearded, dry rock garden, dryland garden, glabrous foliage, oblanceolate basal, glandular inflorescence, penstemon species, most penstemons, red corolla, anthers opening, golden wool, hence the specific name, corolla blue, sagebrush communities, anthers dehisce, corolla lobes, anther sacs, entire leaves Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Mexico, Pennell Penstemon, Keck Penstemon, United States, Holmgren Penstemon, Sierra Nevada, British Columbia, North America, Rocky Mountains, Gray Penstemon, Cascade Range, Great Plains, American Penstemon Society, Baja California, Late May, Straw Penstemon, Cronquist Penstemon, Nelson Penstemon, Crosswhite Penstemon, Rydberg Penstemon, Great Basin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bentham Penstemon, Greene Penstemon New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 27
books:
See all 27 books this book cites
- The Rock Garden and Its Plants by Graham Stuart Thomas on page 32, page 34, and page 283
- Vascular Plants of Montana by Robert D. Dorn on page 254, and Back Matter
- Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country by Marshall Enquist on page 236, and Back Matter
- English Rock Garden by Reginald Farrer on page 34, and Back Matter
- Riverside County by Automobile Club of Southern California on page 248
See all 27 books this book cites
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