Rocky Mountain Beardtongue, is a showy perennial, native to a number of states in the North American Rocky Mountains, where it grows either in the dappled shade of coniferous woodland or soaks up the sun in an open field. It comes from an area which is prone to summer wildfires and is adapted to recover from these, due to its fleshy root reserves. The broad, dark green leaves lay very close to the ground, forming clumps of neat evergreen foliage 10–20 cm tall, spreading by stolons to form clumps up to 100 cm wide. Flowering from late spring into mid-July, on stems 60 cm tall, with deep blue-purple tubular flowers. They are attractive to bees and butterflies.

It is considered one of the easier to grow Penstemons, tolerating heavier soil and moisture better than many of the species, but it prefers dry, well-drained soil that is not over-rich with nutrients. After the initial watering to establish the plant, it demands no more than normal annual winter rain.

Cutting off the spent flower stalks will keep a neat appearance. However, if re-seeding is desired, leave a few stalks for that purpose.