These upright, bushy plants, with narrow pointed leaves, produce spires of thimble-like flowers. Colours include white, pink, red, blue and purple; some varieties combine two colours.
Penstemons grow in most soils that drain freely. They flower prolifically in fertile soils. They prefer sun. In cold areas, they appreciate the protection of growing near a sunny, warm wall.
They can be deciduous or evergreen perennials and typically can grow to a height of upto 1m with a spread of upto 50cm.
One of my favourites is Penstemon Heavenly Blue. I love the pinky blue flowers, and the fact that they can often be semi-evergreen.
Planting and care:
Grow in moderately fertile, sharply-drained soil in full sun in a sheltered situation. May need a dry winter mulch in frost prone areas. They will tolerate some shade, but they'll not flower so well.
You can divide them in spring, or take softwood cuttings early in the summer.
Make sure you deadhead them regularly. After flowering you can shorten flowered stems by half, to encourage further flowering. Then, in the spring and after the frost has passed cut them back to about 15cm. This helps to maintain a nice compact shape. Where can I buy them? I’m so glad you asked that. We've been selling them at The Station Approach in Frome over the past few years and you can now, of course, buy them through Plant a Border.
We're planning to be at The Station Approach every first Saturday of the month from 8am until 1pm.
Use the Contact page to get in touch and we'll be happy to let you know what we're upto.
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