One of the finest sources of blue color for the summer garden, Rocky Mountain Penstemon is a native U.S. plant that gardeners in many parts of the country have come to treasure. The intense blue blooms, 1 inch across and shaped somewhat like a Snapdragon, open all along sturdy, erect 2 1/2- to 3-foot stems, rising from an attractive basal rosette of rich green foliage.

The show begins in early summer and continues for more than a month, giving you enough bloomspikes to fill every vase in the house. But be sure to leave some on the plant -- hummingbirds and butterflies love this Penstemon almost as much as you do, and will visit your garden in droves to sip its nectar.

Easy to grow in full sun and in fertile, well-drained soil, Rocky Mountain Penstemon can be direct-sown. As its name suggests, it is native to Wyoming and Utah, but adapts well to many parts of the country. It will come true from seed, so let it self-sow for years of effortless color! Pkt is 100 seeds.