In cultivation, flowering is often achieved in the first year if seed is planted in the autumn.

At the base of the plant are lanceolate bluish green leaves that grow in a rosette pattern.

From the base emerge the flower stalks, which are 2 to 5 feet high and topped with numerous deep-throated flowers, usually pink but selected horticulturally for red color.

A native lowland desert species, Parry's penstemon can survive on average Sonoran Desert rainfall, but not prolonged drought.

That plus the unusual splash of pink to red it provides make it a favorite xeriscape flower.